The subsequent-gen GT-R will inherit some design hints from the Nissan 2020 Imaginative and prescient Gran Turismo idea … [+]
Information that the legendary Nissan GT-R will return as a completely blown electrical automobile is elevating eyebrows in motoring circles. The corporate that launched the world’s first mass produced electrical car—the Leaf—again in 2011, has some extent to show. Anticipated to rival the likes of the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT, and even the 1000-hp plus Tesla Mannequin S Plaid and Lucid Air Dream, the all-new GT-R EV is rumored to make use of a 1,000-kW battery pack that interprets into 1,340-hp. And in line with a report in Japan, improvement of the battery electrical supercar is being led by Nissan North America.
The GT-R (R-35) was a game-changer when it surfaced in 2007. It was faster than the Porsche 911 Turbo round Germany’s famed Nurburgring race observe, and had a launch management that allowed anybody to leap from zero to 60mph in beneath 3 seconds. Prime Gear’s James Might as soon as mentioned of the GT-R, “It’s actually probably the most superb automobile on the earth.”
Over the past 15 years, the GT-R has gone via many revisions, with its most vital upgrades being a completely new entrance finish, a lift in energy from 480-hp to 565-hp and a worth hike from the unique’s $69,850 to $113,540 for a 2021 yr mannequin. Gross sales of the present mannequin are anticipated to finish within the fall of 2022.
However, to be trustworthy, the GT-R is getting previous within the tooth. There’s not way more that Nissan can do to enhance the automobile, make it extra fascinating or hold it related. Plus, it goes with out saying that the GT-R’s V6 twin-turbo gasoline engine will quickly not meet lots of the stringent emissions rules being launched globally. There have been rumors of a hybrid model, however in line with Japan’s biggest-selling automobile journal Greatest Automobile, the one actual reply was electrical. Full electrical.
Based on stories, Nissan R&D has purchased a couple of Porsche Taycan Turbo S fashions and have taken them aside with a high-quality tooth comb as they endeavor to create a supercar to rival the German thoroughbred.
The Taycan employs a 93.4-kWh Korean-made LG branded lithium-ion battery pack that develops 625-hp and 761-hp on overboost. It sprints from zero to 60-mph in 2.8 seconds, boasts an actual world vary of round 300-miles and has a high velocity of 155-mph. The 1,006-hp Mannequin S Plaid nonetheless boasts the world’s quickest 0-60mph dash time of two.3 seconds, with a 2.01 second consequence on a sticky drag strip.
However to achieve that claimed energy determine of 1,340-hp, right this moment’s lithium-ion batteries received’t minimize it. A brand new larger output all solid-state battery should be developed and employed to generate energy rivaling the Tesla Mannequin S Plaid.
Nissan confirmed its resolve in April this yr when the agency introduced its acquisition of the Le Mans-based e.dams race staff with the Japanese carmaker taking full possession of the all-electric e.dams Formulation E staff. Nissan entered Formulation E again in 2018 in partnership with e.dams, capturing the primary three Crew’s titles and serving to Sebastien Buemi win the 2015/16 drivers’ championship.
Nissan needs to make the most of its racing program to suggestions its racing electrical motor and battery know-how to the brand new GT-R. Incorporating a part of that Formulation E staff and knowhow within the next-gen GTR’s R&D schedule is a should as is choosing aside the Taycan. Based on the Greatest Automobile report, Nissan engineers are impressed with the Taycan’s extraordinarily low middle of gravity, in addition to its lively suspension, dynamic chassis management, rear-wheel steering and two-speed transmission.
One supply says that if Nissan builds a brand new electrical GT-R then it is going to need to set data for acceleration and Nurburgring lap occasions, prefer it did with the unique GT-R since 2007. So it is going to intention to beat the Taycan’s lap time of seven minutes 42c seconds and the Mannequin 3 Plaid’s electrical automobile report time of seven minutes 30 seconds. Nonetheless, it nonetheless has a protracted strategy to go to outdo the present quickest lap of 6 minutes 38 seconds set by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Based on the Greatest Automobile report, making that report doable for a heavy electrical automobile might be light-weight, subsequent era all solid-state battery know-how that guarantees to method the 911’s time.
So far as the GT-R’s design goes, one supply tells us that whereas the automobile will inherit some design hints from the Nissan 2020 Imaginative and prescient Gran Turismo idea you see right here, it is going to most certainly seem in four-door kind.
However we won’t see the following GT-R or a brand new lap report anytime quickly as Nissan doesn’t plan to launch the brand new electrical model till 2028 when it expects the brand new strong state batteries to return on line.