New Nissan GT-R Won’t Be An EV, But A Hybrid Is Inevitable

• Nissan shot down rumors that the next-generation GT-R would be an EV.
• A company exec said that current battery technology isn’t good enough for the “Godzilla.”
• That said, the GT-R’s nearly 60-year streak of gas-only engines will come to an end.

The next-generation Nissan GT-R will not be an electric car, the company confirmed to our sister site Motor1.com in Japan earlier today, shooting down rumors of a battery-powered “Godzilla.”

For what it’s worth, Nissan itself had some contribution to those rumors. The automaker unveiled the Hyper Force concept back in 2023, describing it as “an all-electric high-performance supercar aiming to deliver the ultimate in driving pleasure while also offering high environmental performance and comfort for daily use.”

Nissan Hyper Force concept

That’s pretty much the blueprint for the iconic GT-R, which has offered unbelievable performance and daily usability at a great price for its nearly 60-year history. The electric concept’s debut, along with the decision to axe the R35 GT-R, spurred plenty of theories online, but they have now been put to rest.

The next-generation GT-R (R36), which is already in development, will not be electric. “I think what we’ve seen so far is that electric sports cars haven’t been hugely popular,” said Richard Candler, Nissan’s global head of product strategy, for Motor1. “I think they’ll come as better battery technology takes its next leap, but the current lithium chemistries are not capable of producing a GT-R-type product. We’re not going to go with batteries in the next generation. No way.”

It’s worth noting that Nissan isn’t in a particularly good spot right now, with months of financial troubles under its belt, coupled with the headaches that come from dealing with the Trump administration’s EV policies. Nissan has pulled the Ariya EV from U.S. dealerships, leaving the third-generation Leaf as the only electric car in its American lineup.

All this being said, the new GT-R will have to break its gas-only streak, and it’s all down to emissions. Due to tailpipe emissions regulations outside the U.S., the R36 GT-R will inevitably be a hybrid.

“[GT-R] will have to be electrified because of emissions regulations at some level, of course, said Candler. “It’s just common sense that you would have a sense of electrification, but the battery’s a limiting factor.”

Some enthusiasts might raise an eyebrow because of Nissan’s decision to go down the hybrid route for the R36 GT-R, but the supercar world has already embraced electrification for performance and emissions gains, with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and McLaren among the brands that offer some form of hybrid powertrain.