Nissan GT-R R35 Extends Lifespan As Electric Successor Faces Delays

The R35 generation is still going strong in 2024. According to a Nissan executive, the outdated V-6 engine is still in production. Nissan's SVP made a solemn vow during an interview with the Australian magazine Drive: "not to do a half-baked GT-R; that's not the intention." Francois Bailly explained that the company is still dedicated to producing sports vehicles, noting that he was unsuccessful in his attempt to construct minivans when employed for Nissan.

Despite not marketing any of the company's family haulers in the US, their other offerings still cater to that market. According to the firm's executive, electric vehicle technology isn't ready for this type of high-performance application, which is why the R36 won't launch anytime soon.

It wasn't until 2028 that solid-state batteries, to which Francois Bailly was referring, finally arrived. An all-electric GT-R powered by revolutionary battery technology was teased in last year's insane Hyper Force prototype, which had 1,341 horsepower. Concurrently, the VP of powertrain engineering at Nissan Europe extolled the virtues of solid-state batteries.

Matthew Wright told Auto Express that improvements in charging speed and energy density will make solid-state batteries a "game-changer." He continued by saying that the weight of existing EVs is an issue, but that solid-state batteries would solve this. For a high-performance vehicle like the GT-R, removing excess weight from the battery would be a huge benefit. The latest model comes in a $222,885 Nismo flavor and weighs 3,865 pounds.

An electric vehicle from Nissan that uses solid-state batteries will go into prototype testing in 2026. Nissan will then release the production version in 2028. The most probable release year for a new GT-R is 2030 or 2029. By the end of the decade, the R35 will have been 23 years old, if the present vehicle lasts that long. But it may be its last five or six years.

The Japanese magazine Mag-X claimed in March that Nissan would discontinue the current GT-R in 2025. In Japan, Nissan announced a limited production run for the 2025 GT-R, which has fueled this speculation. In the United States, sales of the GT-R soared by 584 percent in the previous year. Although it may seem great, the number of automobiles sold in 2023 was just 390, down from 57 the previous year.

It would be tragic to see it go without a quick successor, particularly since we have already lost the Audi R8. The Lamborghini Huracan will also go out of production, but a hybrid V-8 will take its place. The next-gen GT-R probably won't include a whole new internal combustion engine, even if one does make an appearance.

An R36 that isn't entirely electric would most likely employ an updated version of the legendary VR38DETT because Nissan just announced that it would no longer invest in developing new engines.

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