Nissan R36 GT-R could get hybrid power – report
The 2023 Nissan R36 GT-R may get a hybrid powertrain as part of the automaker's revised model line-up, according to an overseas report.
Nissan's Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta told Automotive News of the plans to renew the company's new-car range, with a particular focus on fully-electric and hybrid engines.
Arguably the most iconic Nissan, the flagship GT-R coupe, could receive kinetic regeneration technology developed for their Le Mans endurance racing cars.
In the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo race car, a kinetic energy recovery system (known as KERS), transferred energy created under braking into a set of flywheels, with the stored energy able to be deployed during acceleration.
Ashwani Gupta was not quoted directly as the source of the news, but the article suggested it had inside knowledge, writing: "Nissan is considering a performance-oriented hybrid that would utilize a kinetic energy recovery system similar to the kind it uses in its Le Mans race cars".
While no details of the R36 GT-R's powertrain have been officially announced, it's likely the Japanese performance car will utilise batteries and an electric motor to increase its power in order to meet strict European environmental new-car standards.
These renders of the Nissan R36 GT-R by car designer Jon Leu – shown at the top and bottom of this story – help us to imagine what the new model could look like.