Nissan GT-R’s Replacement Will Be Hybrid, and Eventually All-Electric

•    The eventual replacement for the departing Nissan GT-R will be hybrid first, then all-electric.

•    Nissan’s Nismo performance division is currently working on its development.

•    The hybrid version of the future sports car will be the first variant to launch.

There is a Nissan vehicle in the current lineup that we hardly ever talk about, to the point many forget it even exists. One reason for that is that the GT-R sports car has not changed in 15 years. Its production run being more limited, its use more exclusive, we never know what Nissan is planning to do with it. 

However, just like its other sports car, the Z, the GT-R is an iconic model in the Japanese manufacturer's lore. With the redesign of the Z now done, eyes turn naturally to the GT-R. 

In connection with the GT-R, we learned this week that Nissan's performance division, Nismo (for Nissan Motorsports), will play an important role in the development of a new electrified sports car. Nismo CEO Takao Katagiri told Autocar that Nissan is currently developing a new sports car for North America and Europe.

Browse cars for sale available near you

The executive went on to say that the model will be offered in both hybrid and all-electric formats, but that the former will come first. Company representatives had previously told the publication that a performance-oriented electric vehicle would require solid-state batteries. That technology is still in development. 

Realistically, Nissan could have the technology available by the end of this decade. It will take a few more years before we see it in a vehicle. That's why the hybrid solution will take precedence. 

A GT-R hybrid, then? We'll have to see what name the car takes, because the GT-R we know is being retires after the 2023 model-year. We can imagine the manufacturer will want to keep the emblematic letters in use, but perhaps within a new name.