Nissan has almost painted a complete picture of the R36 GT-R, with the next-generation supercar killer set to retain its petrol-powered heart and not go electric as previously expected.
When Nissan unveiled the Hyper Force concept in 2023, the wild 1000kW EV’s styling cues paid a not-so-subtle homage to Skyline GT-Rs of the past, leading to speculation that the R36 GT-R would go electric – if it came at all.
Last week, Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa confirmed the R36 GT-R is in the works, but wouldn’t be drawn on what would power it.
Instead, that honour has gone to Nissan’s global head of product strategy, Richard Candler, who told US publication Motor1 the GT-R won’t go fully electric, due to a downturn in demand throughout the battery-powered sports car market.
“I think what we’ve seen so far is that electric sports cars haven’t been hugely popular,” Candler said.
“I think they’ll come as better battery technology takes its next leap, but the current lithium chemistries are not capable of producing a GT-R-type product. We’re not going to go with batteries in the next generation. No way.”
“[The GT-R] will have to be electrified because of emissions regulations at some level, of course. It’s just common sense that you would have a sense of electrification, but the battery’s a limiting factor.
“The battery chemistry is not strong enough yet to be able to deliver the requirements of the GT-R.”
All generations of the GT-R – from its Skyline roots to becoming a standalone model with the R35 – have been powered by six-cylinder engines, initially naturally aspirated before adding twin turbochargers for the R32 to R34, while the most recent R35 was the first V6.
It’s not known whether the R35’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 engine could meet emissions standards globally if it is electrified, nor is it known how Nissan would undertake this, though it’s almost a guarantee that the GT-R will remain all-wheel drive.
This opens up a number of options, from adding electric motors to the front and rear axles, to putting an electric motor into the transmission.
There’s no word yet on when the R36 GT-R will launch. It took five years between the end of R34 Skyline GT-R production (2002) for the R35 GT-R to be revealed (2007), though the latter model was built for 17 years between 2008 and 2025.
The R35 GT-R was removed from sale in Australia at the end of October 2021, as it could no longer meet side-impact related Australian Design Rules. A total of 999 examples were sold in Australia, with its biggest year coming upon arrival in 2009 with 238 deliveries.
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