There has been all sorts of speculation surrounding the next-generation Nissan GT-R, including its anticipated arrival date (2013) and a possible hybrid version that would use the powertrain of the Infiniti Essence show car. We asked Kazutoshi Mizuno, the chief engineer and project boss of the GT-R, to comment on these rumors, and he vehemently denied that any such project was in the works.
“These reports that say we’re planning on producing a new-generation GT-R only five years after introducing the original, and that we’re going to make it a hybrid, are totally unfounded. I said when we introduced the GT-R that the car’s future will be decided in three years, and we are now entering that third year. Therefore, we’ve been too busy making sure that this GT-R makes a positive mark on the world to think about the next car,” he said.
Still, the arrival of yet another GT-R variant, the Spec M, due later this year in Japan (whether this car will make its way to the U.S. is still undecided) and the fact that the GT-R has become one of the most popular performance cars in the world, make us believe that plans are already being considered for the next-generation car. As for what will be underneath the sheet metal, it’s still a mystery. But it’s too early to totally dismiss the possibility of hybrid power, as the setup in the Essence can deliver as much as 600 bhp (440 bhp from a twin-turbocharged 3.7-liter V-6 and 160 hp from an electric motor) yet achieve 30–35 mpg.
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