New Nissan GT-R Coming In 2022 With Hybrid Power

Previewed by the Nisan Z Proto, a new Nissan Z car is finally coming to replace the age-old 370Z. But what about the Nissan GT-R? Like the 370Z, the current-generation GT-R has been on sale for over ten years so a replacement is long overdue. Nissan has confirmed a successor is in development, but details have been suspiciously scarce.

However, a new report by Japan’s Best Car Web claims the long-awaited new GT-R will launch by the end of 2022 with some significant changes under the hood. According to the publication, strict CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards and noise regulations are being introduced in Japan in 2021. Since the current car’s 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 won’t meet these regulations, the next-generation GT-R will adopt a hybrid setup.

Codenamed the R36, the new GT-R will reportedly combine the current model’s 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system featuring an integrated starter-generator unit, a compact lithium-ion battery, and a small electric motor. Adding a 48-volt system will improve the fuel economy and performance while also “making the engine sound milder” to reduce noise.

Output for the electrified V6 powertrain hasn’t been confirmed but adding electric boost should make the new GT-R more powerful than the current car, which produces 600 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque in the range-topping GT-R Nismo. After all, we already know more power can be extracted from this unit since Italdesign’s gorgeous GT-R50 generates 710 hp, which is 110 more horses than the Nismo GT-R.

Despite being a new model, the next-generation GT-R is expected to utilize the same platform as the current car. This isn’t surprising since the production version of the 400Z will use the same underpinnings as the 370Z to reduce costs because Nissan can’t justify the investment required to build new platforms for niche sports cars.

When can we expect the new GT-R to arrive? Best Car claims the next-generation GT-R will debut by the end of 2022 and go on sale sometime in 2024. By then, the current GT-R will have been on sale for nearly 17 years. But before the new model arrives, the current-generation model will also be given a final swansong with a limited “Final Edition” due to arrive in 2022 with a modified GT3-derived version of the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 producing 710 hp, matching the R50’s output. Production is expected to be limited to 20 examples, each costing around 40 million Japanese yen (~$380,000).