Next Nissan GT-R to electrify

Nissan’s board is debating whether the next-generation R36 Nissan GT-R powertrain will be full-electric or petrol-electric hybrid, but new intel suggests it's likely to be the latter.

This is good news for the half-dozen ‘takumi’ master craftsmen who build the Nissan GT-R engine in Yokohama but not so good news for lovers of pure-electric supercars.

A hard-core, Rimac-rivalling, battery-powered Nissan GT-R appears unlikely given the challenges outlined by Nissan’s vice president of global product strategy Ivan Espinosa.

“The technology of EV is very advanced, but not at a level in which you can deliver the performance expected of a sports car,” he told carsales during an interview after the global launch of its crucial new Nissan Ariya electric SUV.

There are several reasons in favour of an all-electric Nissan GT-R, starting with the high-performance underpinnings of the Ariya, which generates a healthy 290kW of power and 600Nm of torque.

The Ariya EV uses a development of the R35 GT-R’s ATTESA all-wheel-drive system, now called e-4ORCE, which controls the torque outputs of the Ariya’s front and rear motor.

Those motors already generate almost as much torque – but not power – as the current R35 GT-R, which is powered by a 419kW/632Nm 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 and priced from $193,800.

Furthermore, the battery-electric Ariya is based on an all-new dedicated EV platform architecture that Espinosa says is scalable and will be adapted for many more upcoming Nissan EVs.

But he warns that battery size, weight and packaging issues remain unsolved for use as an exclusive power source in high-performance supercars.

“The platform is quite flexible. I think the point is not about the platform, but again coming to the battery. There are two things about batteries still in the EV space, one is the size.

“We have a battery in the floor today but it’s still space you need to allocate for the battery. So when you go with the conventional sports car which you expect to have a very low drive, the packaging becomes a very challenging thing.

“And the other is the weight. We are capable of tuning and delivering very exciting performance in Ariya, with the power we’re getting from the electric drivetrain, but still the weight is an element that cannot reach the level you would expect for a very dedicated and high-performance sports car.”

Nissan’s product strategy boss also stated that “…the fact you need to deliver very consistent power to the car [lap after lap on the racetrack],” is proving difficult, despite its electric motorsport endeavours.

“So that technology is available and we’re learning a lot from our Formula E team, but it’s not yet at a level to put into such a car,” he said.

Espinosa said a hybrid version of the Nissan 400Z is also on the cards so it’s possible both the next Z-car and the R36 GT-R will use similar petrol-electric technology to increase power and reduce emissions.

Nissan GT-R project chief Hiroshi Tamura last year told carsales that he hoped the current model could survive for 20 years, which would take the current generation supercar to around 2027.

That’s a long stretch for fans to wait for the next Godzilla but it means time is on Nissan’s side to make the electrified R36 GT-R a world-beater.

Whenever it appears, the R36 will be the first electrified Nissan GT-R and although turbo-petrol electric hybrid set-up like the Honda NSX’s appears most likely, a fully-electric GT-R is being discussed by Nissan internally.

But 100 per cent battery power is more likely to wait until the following R37-generation GT-R, which could be decades away.

“At this moment our priority is not an EV sports car,” said Nissan’s head of EV strategy, Asaka Hoshino.

“Next is an SUV [Ariya], then maybe after that some other small cars or sedans, and then some other EVs, and then the sports car,” he said.