Nissan Finally Kills The GT-R As Orders Close After 18 Years

Yahoo

01-03-2025

After almost 20 years on sale, Nissan finally closed the order books on its flagship GT-R sports car this week. The R35 GT-R first premiered back in 2007, but Nissan gradually began ending sales for the flagship sports car in various global markets over the past four years. Now, the final nail is in the GT-R's coffin as the automaker stopped sales at home in Japan.
Nissan first premiered the R35 GT-R at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, where it stunned car fans around the world with its rapid performance and forward-thinking technology. As such, it stayed on sale way longer than most other cars would, but the writing has been on the wall for Nissan's flagship for several years now.
After sales ceased in Australia in 2021 as a result of new crash test rules, deliveries of the GT-R then stopped in markets like the U.K. and Europe a year later, and U.S. sales finally came to an end in 2024. Production of the GT-R will now end in Japan, after Nissan stopped sales at home for good, reports CarThrottle.
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Slowly but surely, the GT-R has faced new safety and emissions rules that came into force across the various global markets, and which the 18-year-old design no longer meets. Now, as Nissan prepares to develop an all-new R36 flagship, the automaker released a statement confirming its demise:
"We have received many orders for the Nissan GT-R and have now finished accepting orders for the planned production quantity. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our customers for their support since its release in 2007."
The GT-R's death in Japan follows an end of the road for the car in America last year. To bring U.S. sales to an end, Nissan premiered two final limited-edition offerings, which it called the T-Spec Takumi and Skyline trims.
The end of orders in Japan brings together a majestic 18 year run for the Nissan GT-R. The car first launched in 2007, which was the same year Apple unveiled the first iPhone: while the GT-R has remained on sale, Apple came out with more than 15 other phone models.
Of course, a car is engineered with more longevity than a phone, and the GT-R was lauded for its advanced tech when it first went on sale. This included its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, which remains largely unchanged since 2007, a rapid six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and an advanced four-wheel-drive system that helped the GT-R become one of the fastest production cars around the famed Nürburgring.
The Nissan GT-R also had a handful of facelifts over its time on sale, including in 2010, 2016, and 2023. Each of those updates refined the styling, interiors, and added some truly lush color options to the GT-R.
Production of the GT-R will end in Japan later this year and--provided Nissan doesn't go bust before then--will pave the way for a new flagship at the brand.
The replacement for the GT-R is rumored to be a new R36 sports car, according to CarScoops. It could be based on Nissan's wild Hyper Force Concept that it showcased in 2023, which teased a move away from gasoline power in favor of a battery pack and electric motor. For that to happen, Nissan would need to refine the high-tech solid-state batteries that it's been working on to push forward its electric vehicles.
The current trend for delaying electric performance models from the likes of Aston Martin could be a spanner in the works for this time frame, but if Japan gets its way and Tesla invests in saving Nissan, it may have no other option.
Read the original article on Jalopnik.