The Next-Gen Nissan GT-R Could Retain The Famed Twin-Turbo V6

The automotive world has been awaiting the R36-generation GT-R for quite some time, but as Nissan kept extending production of the R35, its successor started to feel like something that may never see the light of day. Now, it’s been revealed that Nissan is working on a new model, and it may arrive sooner than expected.

The senior vice president and chief planning officer for Nissan North America, Ponz Pandikuthira, has revealed the R36 will use a new chassis and is “going to be an all-new car,” but may retain the same basic engine as the R35, albeit now with the addition of hybridization.

Read: Nissan May Be Steering The Next GT-R In A Completely Different Direction

“If there was a hybrid powertrain, the block of that VR38 engine (which was the engine in the R35 GT-R) is so great,” he told The Drive at the New York Auto Show. “Why would you throw that away? But maybe the way combustions matter needs to be very different. 
Maybe the heads are very different. Maybe the pistons are very different. So maybe we have to change top end.”

Hybrid Godzilla

Like the RB26 that defined the Skyline GT-R before the R35 arrived, the previous-gen’s 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged VR38 V6 has garnered a cult following, largely thanks to its receptiveness to modifications.

Pandikhuthira noted that as it stands, the engine won’t meet certain regional emissions standards, and to ensure it can be sold globally, it “will need some level of electrification.” This is the way that most car manufacturers are going with their high-performance models, and depending on what battery pack and electric motor Nissan decides to use, it’s easy to imagine the R36 GT-R delivering well over 800 hp.

Equally as exciting as the R36 retaining a V6 engine is the fact that it’s not too far away. Pandikuthira expects “solid concrete announcements” to be made about the car by 2028 and that it should be released before the end of the decade.