Nissan Exec Confirms R36 Replacement For GT-R

[Plex]

The development and launch of the current R35 Nissan GT-R was an epic achievement for the Japanese automaker. After all, Nissan was able design and engineer a sports car capable of outperforming exotic supercars with pricetags twice as high, as well as make it seat four adults in relative comfort and be easy to drive everyday.

A series of planned updates of the car should allow the GT-R to remain supreme for some time to come, and this will reportedly include the introduction of a brand new model around 2013.

At a special event at Nissan’s Nurburgring Technical Centre last week, Nissan’s vice president of global product planning, Andy Palmer, reaffirmed Nissan’s commitment to the GT-R project.

Palmer also confirmed that a model replacement program for the GT-R was still in place despite the economic downturn. He explained that Nissan is planning to mimic the timescale used by Porsche for its 911 GT-2, which means a model life cycle of around five to six years.

Palmer said the R36 GT-R would be more of an evolution of the current model’s platform rather than a completely new car like the R35. This means that a twin-turbocharged V-6 powertrain will remain, as will the current rear transaxle configuration.

This fits with Nissan’s plan to continuously improve on the GT-R to ensure the car remains competitive.

Motorauthority