One of the R35's ‘fathers' reckons the next Nissan GT-R might be a hybrid
Tamura-san tells Top Gear we shouldn't be surprised if new Godzilla isn't a full EV Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading
The next Nissan GT-R could very well be a hybrid, according to Nissan brand ambassador Hiroshi Tamura. It could also very well take another ten years to get here, but more on that later.
Tamura-san, former GT-R product planner and one of the R35's 'fathers', told TopGear.com that he's not entirely sure Godzilla's return will be powered entirely by electrons.
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'I'm not sure it will be 100 per cent EV,' he said. 'I believe Nissan will get customer opinions on the next GT-R. And if the customer doesn't want a full, 100 per cent electric car, we shouldn't [build one].
'But if customers accepted a hybrid, it probably might happen.' You might like
There's a fairly large caveat to insert here: though Tamura-san has been at the heart of the R35 GT-R's story – and Skylines before that – through his tenure as Godzilla's product planner, he no longer sits on the GT-R inner circle. That now rests with new CEO and performance car fan Ivan Espinosa and his team.
Tamura-san however, is sure they'll ask the right questions. 'We need to show the next trend ,' he said. 'This is a very important role for the GT-R. It's easy to say, 'oh, it might be a hybrid', but in my opinion the most important thing is how the customer, how the audience feels [when driving].'
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He points to his own experience shaping and developing Godzilla's long history when, back at the turn of the century, he was one of the people – along with Kazutoshi Mizuno – tasked with resurrecting the supercar slayer.
You'll remember the Skyline GT-R famously went from a long line of straight-six powerhouses that stretched from 1969 right up to the R34, before transforming into a monster V6 in the now-very-much-dead R35.
'The first time we showed the R35 [internally] the reaction was horrible!' he laughed. 'They said 'Tamura-san, it must be an inline-six, you cannot put in a boring V6!
'I know the RB26 has a nice screaming sound, but we needed some excitement, and a new solution, and that's why we selected the V6.'
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His point: we shouldn't get hung up on what powers the next GT-R. 'People might not expect the solution, but the goal – and the most important thing – is happiness. Not the solution's name. It's creating something new, creating a new trend.'
All of this is assuming Nissan even gets the chance to build a new GT-R. From the outside it's easy: a car so ingrained in the company's history that making a new one is a no-brainer.
But Nissan's in trouble: it recently announced plans to slash more jobs (now totalling 20,000), close seven factories and put all post-2026 new car development on ice. No word on whether Godzilla was part of Nissan's post-2026 world.
Tamura-san however, knows how deep the GT-R connection runs. 'I believe it's something more fundamental; some spiritual connection internally and externally. One of the ways [to make this connection] is to have an emotional car.
'The GT-R is like Gundam tech. It embodies very strong power, controlled by technology. You are the commander. The car is the extension.
'The GT-R is about having strong leadership. That's its connection into our company.' Here's hoping we'll see that face rise from the ocean to scare a whole new generation of supercars once again.
Image: Toby Thyer for Top Gear
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