Next Nissan GT-R and Z could go EV

The long-awaited replacements for both the decade-old Nissan GT-R and Nissan 370Z could drop their internal combustion engines in favour of pure-electric powertrains, it has been revealed.

Speaking at yesterday’s Tokyo motor show opening, Nissan's global product planning boss Ivan Espinosa confirmed both the GT-R and Z cars will live on for another generation but said an internal debate continues to rage over what should power them.

Nissan's chief product planner confirmed both all-electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains were in the running, but wouldn't confirm exactly what will power the GT-R or 370Z sequels.

However, when asked if either the GT-R or 370Z, which have just celebrated their 50th anniversaries, could switch to pure electric power, Espinosa said he wasn't convinced consumers were ready for battery-powered sports cars.

“Yes, we are discussing that all the time,” he said. “But we need to be careful, because there are two elements to this.

“One, is the consumer ready to get a sports car EV? We have debated endlessly about this, because there are still more traditional buyers, petrol-head customers, who are not still quite 100 per cent there, but then there is also a big young audience that thinks completely differently.

“The second angle we have to be careful with is when the technology will really be ready to deliver the expected performance of a sports car. You still have to carry a battery, which is carrying weight, and a sports car is not only about the horsepower you put in, but also about the kilos that you remove.

“So, it’s a very careful balance that we need to be managing. The answer is yes, as one of the alternatives, but we haven’t decided. Are we working on it? Absolutely.”

Internally, lobbying for a radical battery-powered sports car is head of EV strategy Asaka Hoshino, who unsurprisingly says that since Nissan is already a pioneer when it comes to EVs, introducing a zero-emission sports car should be among its priorities.

“Our priority is to create the EV market first, and then after we penetrate and create a sustainable EV market,” she explained. “Then we would like to be the number one in providing the EV sports car.

“At this moment our priority is not an EV sports car. Next is an SUV, then maybe after that some other small cars or sedans, and then some other EVs, and then the sports car.”

Nissan used the Tokyo show to reveal its first electric SUV, which will be available with a high-performance two-motor all-wheel drive powertrain outputting about 227kW of power and a hefty 680Nm of torque.

This week at its Yokohama HQ, Nissan also revealed a new kimono-inspired red, black and white paint livery for both its Formula E racer and the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC (pictured) – a dual-motor performance coupe based on the LEAF.

Meanwhile, Espinosa said Nissan is open to following in the tyre tracks of BMW and Toyota, who shared the development costs of the latest Z4 and Supra to cut the huge cost of producing low-volume sports cars.

“There is no golden rule. I am particularly open personally [to cooperation],” he said.

“Of course, there are some elements that you should not play with… but there is a limit you can share and you can commonise, and at the same time you have to be very careful not to go beyond what your customer is expecting from your brand.

“So, yes, open of course, because as you know, these areas are becoming very challenging, especially with new regulations coming, so there are many difficulties in executing these types of cars that will probably force us to look outside and to look at different options.

“But the really important point for me is that these cars really need to represent what the brand is about and be very careful to the limits you play with.”

Timing for either the next-generation Nissan Z or GT-R remains unclear, but the development chief of the latter, Hiroshi Tamura, recently told us he is waiting for the Nissan board to decide whether the seventh-generation R36 GT-R should be hybrid or electric.

In the meantime, he said the existing R35 GT-R could be improved and sold for another decade.