Electrification of the Nissan GT-R appears to be underway, if Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida is to be believed. While he did not offer much concrete information with regards to the automaker’s next-gen flagship supercar in an earlier interview, he did mention that the GT-R team has been investigating the possibility of electrification.
Uchida indicated that GT-R has to not only be the quickest but also “own the track”, so to speak – a simple enough position – though this does not imply the necessity of electrification. He further claimed that the next-gen GT-R will utilize power much more intelligently regardless of the degree of electrification.
This foreshadowing is at the same time remarkable and inexplicable. The current GT-R R35 generation has not evolved for 14 years. Available information suggests that the GTR R36 generation will feature a smarter way of utilizing power such that it may even surpass the current VR38DETT 3.8 liter twin-turbo, 710 hp engine designed by Italdesign in terms of horsepower. If so, then Nissan must consider either BEV or PHEV platforms.
Conversely, if the next-gen GT-R not only remains an ICE vehicle, but also improves upon its power, then it will no longer be able to meet the increasingly stringent emissions standards and, by extension, be sold in Europe and the US. Hence, no matter what, Nissan will theoretically aim to electrify GT-R somewhat.
However, the electrification of GT-R will involves an increase in not only horsepower, but also price. The cheapest GT-R costs about NT$6.35 million, while the most expensive model, the limited edition GT-R50, costs about US$1 million. Regardless of model variations, electric GT-R models following the release of R36 will be sure to see only price hikes as opposed to price drops, thereby presenting a further challenge for car enthusiasts.
(Image: Italdesign)
