Just the Facts:
SANTA MONICA, California — A source close to the project tells Inside Line that the next Nissan GT-R has not yet been approved for production. Company CEO Carlos Ghosn, we're told, has not given the go-ahead to design and engineer the car. And he may never give it the green light.
In other words, it's possible that the Nissan GT-R in its modern form is a one-hit wonder.
Five years ago, the GT-R created a global phenomenon due to its combination of extreme performance, high technology and low price. Since then, Nissan's engineers have been slowly refining the R35 with subtle changes to its styling, suspension and engine output.
But all that time we assumed an all-new, fully redesigned model was in the works, possibly for the 2014 model year. There has even been speculation that the next-generation GT-R would get a hybrid drivetrain to keep it on the good side of the efficiency scale.
Now, it's increasingly looking like that's not going to happen. At first, rumors began to circulate that the next GT-R (R36) was delayed to the 2018 model year and it would receive another face-lift in 2013 to try to keep the car fresh for longer. Then we dug a little deeper and found out that development of the R36 hasn't even started yet.
Inside Line called Nissan for an official comment on the topic and received this brief e-mail reply from a company spokesman. "I cannot comment on that speculation and cannot comment on future product plans for the GT-R."
Although Ghosn was a champion for the GT-R project back in 2009, his new pet project, the all-electric Nissan Leaf is on the other side of the automotive spectrum. Ghosn approved the original GT-R only after being assured that it would make money for the company even at low volumes. Since its introduction, GT-R sales have added up to just 5,914 units and they have slowed recently to just 583 this year.
Add into the equation that the R35's chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno recently retired and it's easy to see why the next GT-R in in jeopardy.
Inside Line says: Come on, Carlos. Let them build it!
Next-Generation Nissan GT-R Might Not Happen
- The next-generation Nissan GT-R (R36) may not be officially approved at Nissan.
- A source tells Inside Line that Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has not yet given the go-ahead to design and engineer the car.
- Nissan officially has no comment on the subject.
SANTA MONICA, California — A source close to the project tells Inside Line that the next Nissan GT-R has not yet been approved for production. Company CEO Carlos Ghosn, we're told, has not given the go-ahead to design and engineer the car. And he may never give it the green light.
In other words, it's possible that the Nissan GT-R in its modern form is a one-hit wonder.
Five years ago, the GT-R created a global phenomenon due to its combination of extreme performance, high technology and low price. Since then, Nissan's engineers have been slowly refining the R35 with subtle changes to its styling, suspension and engine output.
But all that time we assumed an all-new, fully redesigned model was in the works, possibly for the 2014 model year. There has even been speculation that the next-generation GT-R would get a hybrid drivetrain to keep it on the good side of the efficiency scale.
Now, it's increasingly looking like that's not going to happen. At first, rumors began to circulate that the next GT-R (R36) was delayed to the 2018 model year and it would receive another face-lift in 2013 to try to keep the car fresh for longer. Then we dug a little deeper and found out that development of the R36 hasn't even started yet.
Inside Line called Nissan for an official comment on the topic and received this brief e-mail reply from a company spokesman. "I cannot comment on that speculation and cannot comment on future product plans for the GT-R."
Although Ghosn was a champion for the GT-R project back in 2009, his new pet project, the all-electric Nissan Leaf is on the other side of the automotive spectrum. Ghosn approved the original GT-R only after being assured that it would make money for the company even at low volumes. Since its introduction, GT-R sales have added up to just 5,914 units and they have slowed recently to just 583 this year.
Add into the equation that the R35's chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno recently retired and it's easy to see why the next GT-R in in jeopardy.
Inside Line says: Come on, Carlos. Let them build it!
Next-Generation Nissan GT-R Might Not Happen
