Nissan Won’t Kill the GT-R; Next Generation Scheduled for 2018

Nissan’s GT-R was a triumph when it first arrived on the scene. Even today, there’s no assailing it’s capabilities. But until now, there hasn’t been any indication from Nissan that they were going to follow up with another car. In fact, there were rumors from Inside Line that Carlos Ghosn hadn’t approved the car for another iteration and the GT-R would be no more. Of course, considering how highly acclaimed the car has been, this always seemed unlikely and kind of stupid. Edmunds has laid these rumors to rest after a visit Nissan’s R&D center in Atsugi, Japan. The next-gen GT-R is set to arrive by 2018.

The second generation of GT-R was supposed to be due in 2015. An issue arose when Kazutoshi Mizuno, the chief engineer behind the project, was forced to take a leave of absence after falling ill. With his return, the GT-R has also found it’s way back on track.

We won’t be stuck with the same body style for the next six years either. Nissan will give the exterior a major update at the end of 2013. Although Nissan has been steadily working on improving the GT-R year by year, the coupe has yet to see a complete face-lift. Likely, that’s what’ll be happening by the end of next year.

Despite that reassurance, six years is a lot of time. Porsche will have the 918 out and on the streets long before then. Also, Honda’s NSX should be a major player in the game too (if they ever build the thing). Like those two cars, there’s a strong chance that the new GT-R will be some variant of a hybrid. Nissan has been toying with the technology in their Emerge concept car. While that’s definitely more of a luxurious super car a-la Jaguar’s C-X75, there’s no reason for them to keep that technology isolated.

Either way, fans of Nissan have something to finally be excited about. We don’t know what changes the next year will bring to the GT-R, but it’ll be good to see something different.

via [Inside Line]

What do you want to see in the future GT-R? Join the discussion in the forums!