The end of the road has finally arrived for the long-running R35 Nissan GT-R after close to two decades in production, but while a successor is coming, it may be a while.
The final example of the R35-generation Nissan GT-R supercar has rolled off the assembly line in Japan after 18 years in production, and about 48,000 examples sold – including just under 1000 in Australia.
Nissan promises the end of the R35's run "isn't a goodbye to the GT-R forever", amid reports the legendary nameplate could return by the end of the decade with hybrid power.
The final vehicle is a Premium T-Spec variant finished in Midnight Purple, with a Japanese customer's name already assigned.
"Approximately" 48,000 GT-Rs have been built since the R35 launched in 2007, reviving a nameplate dormant since the famed Skyline GT-R bowed out in August 2002.
It makes it the most-produced GT-R iteration in history – 37 per cent, or about 17,800 of which were sold in Japan – beating the 43,937 examples of the R32 Skyline GT-R produced from 1989 to 1994.
The difference is far greater in Australia, where 997 R35 GT-Rs were officially sold from 2009 until the final stock left dealers in 2022, compared to a small batch of 100 R32-series editions in the early 1990s.
The R35 GT-R elevated the iconic nameplate from a derivative of the Skyline coupe to its own model, pitched as a fully-fledged supercar to compete with Porsche and exotic brands.
It debuted with a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 developing 353kW and 583Nm, outputs progressively lifted to 441kW and 652Nm in the final Nismo editions.
The V6 – which has lent some of its DNA to the next Nissan Patrol 4WD, as well as the latest Nissan Z coupe – was matched with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and a variable all-wheel-drive system.
All GT-R V6s were hand-built by "a core team of just nine master craftsmen" at Nissan's Yokohama engine plant – and fitted with plaques accordingly – before being installed on the Tochigi, Japan production line.
Nissan says it "remains committed to the GT-R nameplate with a vision to reimagine it for a new generation," and "learnings from the R35 will be integral to the next-generation GT-R".
"To the many fans of the GT-R worldwide, I want to tell you this isn't a goodbye to the GT-R forever, it's our goal for the GT-R nameplate to one day make a return," Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa said in a media statement.
"We understand the expectations are high, the GT-R badge is not something that can be applied to just any vehicle; it is reserved for something truly special and the R35 set the bar high.
"So, all I can ask is for your patience. While we don't have a precise plan finalised today, the GT-R will evolve and reemerge in the future."
The next-generation 'R36' GT-R was long expected to be fully electric, using Nissan's next-generation solid-state battery technology due to roll out in 2028.
However, amid low demand for electric supercars, and concerns over the potential of the technology to deliver on the GT-R nameplate, it increasingly appears the next model will be a hybrid.
It could still use solid-state batteries to deliver the electrified boost, however, in conjunction with a powerful internal-combustion engine (ICE) to reach performance heights not previously achieved.
Nissan North America chief planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira told US website The Drive in April that hybrid assistance "allows me then to give a fire-breathing V6 twin-turbo ICE [petrol] component.
"So will it be turbocharged? Absolutely, yes."
He was quoted as confirming Nissan has produced electric prototypes of a future GT-R, but "basically it's like it would complete one lap at the Nurburgring, and then you have to recharge the car.
"And then that charging is going to take you a while, and it's just not authentic.
“You just built a thing to check that box that you have a GT-R, but it’s not really a GT-R. No, electric, I don’t think you’ll deliver with the technology that we have now, or even with solid state, the kind of performance that’s expected out of a GT-R."
Asked when the car could arrive, he told the publication: "If I had to put a timeline out there, next three to five years for the new GT-R."
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
