A SENIOR ENGINEER for Nissan has hinted that the Japanese manufacturer may return to turbocharging in the near future.

Nissan’s Tetsuya Takahashi told Motor Trend that the company’s Powertrain Engineering Division is already studying the feasibility of turbocharged engines for future models.

In the 1990s, Nissan mainly used turbocharged engines on its performance models like the 300ZX and Skyline GT-R. Any new force-fed powerplants would be tuned for greater efficiency and lower fuel consumption rather than outright power.

Engines would be smaller in capacity than those currently used, the turbochargers being employed to compensate for the drop in displacement.

Sports car applications for turbochargers aren’t entirely out of the question though, and Takahashi’s words have sparked speculation that the 370Z may eventually feature a twin-turbocharged V6.

The R35 GT-R is currently the only Nissan vehicle sold in this country with a turbocharged petrol engine.

Making forced-induction engines meet future emissions standards is apparently the major hurdle faced by Takahashi and his team.

“It is very difficult. I spoke to a colleague at Toyota, and he says they aren’t pursuing it at all for this reason,” Takahashi said in an interview with Motor Trend.

However, if BMW, Audi and Volkswagen are able to develop a wide range of emissions-compliant turbocharged engines for an equally wide range of applications, Nissan will likely find a way to do the same.