Skip to main content

Next Nissan GT-R confirmed for 2018

Nissan GT-R front three-quarter viewReports of the Nissan GT-R’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Despite worrying signs, like a cold shoulder from Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and the retirement of GT-R godfather Kazutoshi Mizuno, the company confirmed that the next generation GT-R is a go, and is being prepared for a 2018 debut.

It turns out that Mizuno had taken a leave of absence due to health issues, but he is now healthy and back with the company. Mizuno’s leave did push back development work on the new GT-R, which was supposed to be finished by 2015, causing some confusion about the car’s fate.

In the meantime, the current GT-R, called R35, will be restyled. Nissan executives told Inside Line that they felt the car needed to be freshened up, since 2013 marks its sixth (calendar) year of production. Nissan wants to keep the GT-R competitive with the Porsche 911, which gets a major overhaul every few years.

The restyling may be limited to the car’s front end, which is less complex than a complete redesign. Regardless of how the changes end up looking, Nissan seems committed to the GT-R.

It should be. The GT-R has had the track to itself for some time, but that is changing. Honda is bringing out a new, hybrid version of its legendary NSX supercar (sold as the Acura NSX in the United States), and Toyota has commissioned BMW to design a sports car for it. A Japanese performance car war is beginning.

The competition across the ocean is also heating up. Porsche launched a new 911 in 2012, and will soon roll out hardcore Turbo and GT3 models. In America, the GT-R will have to contend with the reborn SRT Viper and the new seventh-generation Corvette due out next year.

In the midst of all this, the current GT-R is still an impressive machine. A 2012 GT-R will do 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 191 mph. It also famously lapped the Nurburgring faster than Porsche’s 911 (997) Turbo.

The GT-R does all this while maintaining an air of civility: its all-wheel drive makes it tractable, and it’s actually quite roomy and comfortable inside. The Nissan known as “Godzilla” combines performance and everyday usability better than almost any car.

The R35 GT-R should be able to hold off the Japanese, German, and American competition until 2018, but Nissan needs to have a long-term plan to keep it competitive.

Americans may be more familiar with the Z, but the GT-R is Nissan’s performance icon, the company’s equivalent to the 911 or Corvette. The name has been around since the 1960s, and was applied to performance versions of the Skyline before the bespoke R35 was introduced in 2008.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more
Audi Q6 e-tron ushers in the automaker’s next EV phase
2025 Audi Q6 e-tron front three quarter view.

Audi doesn’t get enough credit for getting luxury car buyers comfortable with EVs. While Tesla took care of the image-conscious types, the German brand unveiled its e-tron electric SUV in 2018 with the tagline “electric has gone Audi” in hopes of getting loyal customers excited about (or, at least, acclimated to) electric cars by pitching the e-tron as an Audi first and an EV second.

The e-tron wasn’t a one-off, either. It’s since evolved into the Q8 e-tron and has been joined by the sporty e-tron GT and entry-level Q4 e-tron. So, while some car brands are only just introducing their first electric models, Audi is ready for round two.

Read more
Rivian R2 vs R3: Will one be ‘better’ than the other?
Rivian R2, R3, and R3X

Rivian has finally taken the wraps off of the Rivian R2, its latest SUV. It's designed to be smaller and more affordable than the much-loved R1S. But alongside the R2, Rivian also pulled off another surprise reveal -- the new Rivian R3.

The Rivian R3 is even smaller and aimed at being even more affordable than the R2. In fact, while the R2 is only a little smaller than the R1S and still an SUV, the R3 isn't really an SUV at all -- it instead wanders into crossover territory. It's designed to be Rivian's answer to cars like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and, yes, the Tesla Model Y.

Read more