Next-generation GT-R to feature hybrid powertrain

    In a recent interview with Top Gear, Nissan executives confirmed the details of the next-generation GT-R that have been circulating in the industry: the 2016 Nissan R36 GT-R will be equipped with a hybrid system and will be faster than the current GT-R.

    "The launch of the R35 in 2009 was a huge leap forward in the history of the GT-R and we need to make sure the next generation of the GTR is just as exciting when it arrives. This impact is not only for the GT-R itself, but also for Nissan as a whole," James Oliver, head of Nissan's British sports car business, told Top Gear. "I think (the GT-R hybrid) is an obvious direction, and we have made a lot of great expertise and investment in hybridization."

    The R36 GT-R is expected to be powered by a derivative of the hybrid powertrain from the Infiniti Q80 concept, which debuted earlier this month and features a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine and a powerful electric motor. Infiniti executives said at the launch of the Q80 concept that "a derivative of the Q80 concept powertrain will be available in Nissan and Infiniti models within the next two years," a timeline that corresponds to the launch of the 2016 R36 GT-R.

    As for the appearance of the new car, Oliver said that the Vision 2020 concept car represents the design of the new car. Based on this, Gas2 believes that the renderings previously made by TopSpeed ​​may be closer to the design direction of the R36.

Vision 2020 concept car

Renderings by TopSpeed

    At the end of September, a person close to Nissan revealed to Motor Trend that the R36 is equipped with a completely redesigned 8-speed gearbox, and the current 6-speed DCT is abandoned, which can no longer cope with the greater torque. The R36 GT-R with the motor has a maximum torque (hybrid mode) of an astonishing 998 N·m, far exceeding the current R35GT-R's 652 N·m.

    The above-mentioned person familiar with the matter said that the R36 GT-R needs a better cooling system and better aerodynamic characteristics, and Nissan engineers still need to solve the cooling problem of the new hybrid system.