The Key To Making The Next-Generation Nissan GT-R Better Is...Electrification?

May. 16, 2016 5:45 AM ET by Jay Traugott Rumor / 17 Comments

Time for Godzilla to get an electric heart?

The 2017 Nissan GT-R may have just been given the most significant styling update inside and out since its debut in 2007, but work is already well underway on the next-generation R36 GT-R. According to Nissan's chief creative officer, Shiro Nakamura, who spoke with Automotive News, stylists are "playing with the car's proportions, partly to improve driving dynamics and aerodynamics." One of the biggest goals for the next GT-R is to improve the twin-turbo's fuel efficiency.

Nakamura adds that an electrified drivetrain is very likely. A new exterior design, however, is even trickier to pull off. The current GT-R, despite its refresh, "still doesn't look old because it's not influenced by anything," Nakamura points out. "If it tries to capture some trend, it would look dated. I think we can change to better proportions – the width, the height. Anything that we change on this car will contribute to better performance, better aero." But the first design stage can only be figured out once the drivetrain has been decided. "Electrification is almost inevitable for any car," Nakamura believes. "If the next-generation GT-R has some electrification, nobody would be surprised at that time."