- Nissan GT-R receives updates for MY2025
- Rumored to be Godzilla’s final model year
- Electric successor expected before 2030
The Nissan GT-R will soldier on for MY2025, with the Japanese automaker sharing updates for the coming model year.
While it looks similar to the car that debuted way back in 2007, Nissan has been making gradual improvements every year to keep Godzilla feeling fresh. This time, the GT-R Premium Edition T-spec and GT-R Track Edition engineered by Nismo gain weight-balanced connecting rods, piston rings, and crankshafts. Once exclusive to the GT-R Nismo special edition, these components promote faster turbo spooling and revs.
Both variants receive aluminum ‘takumi’ nameplates that refer to the twin-turbo V6 engines, which are handbuilt by a handful of craftspeople in a dust-proof room in Nissan’s Yokohama facility. There are also gold-colored plaques in the engine compartment.
Aside from that, the Premium Edition can now be equipped with a Blue Heaven interior finish.
How Long Does The R35 Have Left?
While desirable and talented, the GT-R is long in the tooth, and no number of facelifts can hide this fact. Reports suggest the R35 generation will be retired after MY2025, with Nissan reportedly expected to make an announcement about the GT-R’s future sometime this year. Of course, this is yet to be confirmed, so there’s a slight chance the Nissan could live on for even longer. We’ve been saying this for years, and the GT-R is still with us, but surely it’s time to move on.
On the other hand, the automaker only unveiled the facelift two years ago, so it would be odd to kill it off so soon after an update.
Whatever the R35’s destiny, Nissan and its Alliance partners are investing heavily in electrification, so it would be reasonable to assume the GT-R’s successor would be battery-electric or, at the very least, a plug-in hybrid.
A Potential Electric Replacement
For several years, rumors have suggested that a full-electric successor would replace the R35. This would make sense, but Nissan has not decided on the future propulsion of the GT-R. Speaking in 2022, the chief engineer of the R35 generation, Hiroshi Tamura, said the Japanese marque was still undecided about whether the GT-R successor should be electric or carry on with a combustion engine.
Last year, at the Japan Mobility Show, Nissan unveiled the striking Hyper Force concept. With obvious GT-R styling cues, 1,341-horsepower, and a lightweight carbon fiber body, this looked like a clear indication of what the GT-R’s powertrain would become, but Nissan specifically noted that this was highly theoretical, likely because the company is aware that GT-R fanatics will not easily accept an EV.
To date, Nissan has not publicly committed to a powertrain direction for the R36, but given the success that hybrids are enjoying globally, something Toyota has capitalized on famously, partial electrification may be wise.
Is An Electric GT-R A Viable Option?
Reports indicate that the design of the Hyper Force concept could find its way to production before 2030, potentially allowing the R35 could remain in production for a few more years. Then again, Nissan could discontinue it before then, leaving a gap in the lineage as it did between the R34 and the current model.
The electrification of the R35 is inevitable, but there’s a chance it may arrive as a plug-in or mild hybrid and not a fully electric car. Nissan won’t have a problem going down the battery-electric route, as it has shown it is keen on offering performance EVs, as shown by the Ariya Nismo.
However, R35 fans and customers are loyal bunch who adore the supercar killer for unburstable VR38DETT, a motor proven to be reliable and capable of handling more power. While an electric GT-R would be quick and fun to drive, Nissan risks alienating its customer base.