The next-generation Nissan GT-R will make use of electrification

Like it or not, recent Car & Driver reports claim that the “Next-Gen Nissan GT-R Will Arrive in 3 to 5 Years with Hybrid Power.” While this news may be controversial to some, it’s still comforting to know that despite the GT-R’s impending electrification, the addition of battery power won’t come at the cost of the iconic sports car’s signature six-cylinder soundtrack. Turbocharging will remain as well, meaning GT-R buyers won’t be giving up their beloved forced induction whooshes any time soon, and that Nissan‘s next-gen GT-R should have some serious power up its sleeve.

Using generative text-to-image artificial intelligence and Adobe Photoshop over official Nissan press images, we take an imagined look at what a hypothetical next-generation GT-R could look like, incorporating current Nissan design language and styling cues, and discuss what other features we might expect from the upcoming model. These images are for speculation purposes only and in no way depict any actual Nissan products.

Will hybridization dilute the GT-R’s excellence or enhance it?

Hybridized performance cars seem to be the popular trend these days, with everything from BMW M5s to Mercedes-AMG SLs and even the Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid turning to batteries to achieve improved performance while also enhancing efficiency. Although different strategies for hybridization exist, such as Porsche‘s T-Hybrid system or BMW’s plug-in hybrid performance strategy, we are still unsure of what route Nissan will take to hybridize their GT-R. What we do know, however, is that the GT-R will definitely still use combustion power and turbocharging to continue the model’s tradition of lightning-quick acceleration, albeit with the enhancement of electrified assistance.

According to Car & Driver’s report, the next-gen GT-R will more than likely optimize the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 found in the all-new Armada SUV, which “is engineered for emissions standards stretching to 2032,” making it the most likely candidate for the GT-R team to tinker with. As it stands, the Nissan Armada’s V6 already makes a stout 425 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque in its utilitarian state of tune, so with some meticulous performance fiddling and the addition of a hybrid battery system, we expect the R36-generation Nissan GT-R to vastly out-power the outgoing R35’s 565 horsepower and 467 lb-ft of torque.

If the BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG SL63 S E Performance are to be benchmarked, we could expect to see a power figure somewhere in the high-700 range, but that would surely come at the cost of substantial added weight. If Nissan decides to go the non-plug-in hybrid route, we might see a next-gen GT-R with a mid-600 horsepower figure, but without much extra weight compared to the outgoing R35. Potentially paired with an updated BorgWarner dual-clutch transmission and four-wheel drive, the R36 GT-R should be a serious rocket on the drag strip and at circuit tracks alike.

Could the next-gen Nissan GT-R go for a mid-engine layout?

According to Motor1, a “Nissan Exec Suggests GT-R and Acura NSX Could Share a Platform,” meaning a mid-engine Nissan GT-R could be on the table. In the wake of the aftermath of Honda‘s proposed merger with Nissan falling through, the two brands might still collaborate to bring us both an all-new Acura NSX and a Nissan GT-R, combining the collective expertise of both brands’ performance divisions, and allowing the two sports car powerhouses to live on for a new generation.

Since the Acura NSX already combined hybrid power with a six-cylinder combustion engine for its last generation, it seems more than likely that such a setup should continue on into its next generation, which could share many of its components with the next Nissan GT-R. If Acura is to seriously one-up the previous Acura NSX, a plug-in hybrid powertrain seems like the natural next step, thus suggesting that the next GT-R will more than likely use plug-in hybrid power rather than a standard hybrid setup.

Converting the Nissan GT-R to a mid-engine platform may seem like sacrilege to some, but this strategy looks to have worked all too well for Chevrolet with the C8 Corvette, which, in convertible guise, has seen double the sales of its previous C7 generation, according to The Drive. A mid-engine GT-R could directly compete with the likes of the Chevrolet C8 Corvette Z06, the McLaren Artura, the Ferrari 296 GTB, and, of course, the Acura NSX, which have all adopted hybridized V6 powertrains aside from the ‘Vette.

Final thoughts

Regardless of whether the next-generation Nissan GT-R harnesses its power through a monstrous, 800+ horsepower plug-in hybrid twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 mounted behind the cabin and powering all four wheels, or it optimizes a slightly less potent but far less heavy system akin to Porsche’s T-Hybrid, we’re just glad to see that Nissan still cares about the storied sports car legend enough to keep it alive. With how mainstream hybrid performance cars have become in 2025, there’s no chance that the next-gen GT-R could be a truly competitive offering without employing hybridization of some sort, so we’re eager to see what path Nissan decides to take.

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