Nissan GT-R 2016 News

Nissan's performance arm gets green light at long last for Australia, with $300k GT-R to launch in 2017.

Has the GT-R gone soft? The 2017 update gets more power and torque, but Nissan isn’t quoting performance figures.  Ever since the R33 GT-R V-Spec set a supercar-slaying sub-eight minute (7:59) lap of the Nordschleife circuit at the Nurburgring in 1996, one of the key success measures of a new GT-R has been how quick it could cover the infamous 20.8km track.The demonstrably faster R34 somehow avoided the ‘Ring rite of passage despite being developed there, but the original R35 stunned the world with a 7:29.03 lap time in 2008.  History suggests that Porsche was probably the most stunned, as the German brand bought their own R35 five months later and couldn’t manage anything quicker than a 7:54. The R35’s awesome dual-clutch transmission-enabled 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds added a second key metric to determine the scale of Godzilla’s fury. Successive updates knocked this figure down to an astonishing 2.7s for the 2013 model.The official Nurburgring times were whittled down to 7:26.70 in 2009, 7:24.22 in 2010 and 7:18.6 in 2012, before the balls-out 911 GT3-equivalent GT-R Nismo clocked the current best of 7:08.679 in 2013. After almost as many updates as its years on sale, the 2017 GT-R brings more power and torque than any non-NISMO before it, along with the most comprehensive overall refresh since 2007. But, there’s no mention of any lap times or acceleration figures in any of Nissan’s press materials. Visiting Australia for the 2017 GT-R’s Australian launch this week, GT-R Chief Product specialist and die-hard petrolhead Hiroshi Tamura wasn’t able to shed any light on these omissions either.   "I cannot say, we did not check," he told CarsGuide.com.au. This could be interpreted as a veiled admission of new model being slower than before, but widespread third-party testing will no doubt set the record straight. Our own Joshua Dowling recorded a 3.3s 0-100km/h figure at the 2017 GT-R’s international launch in Belgium, some 0.6s slower than the 2013 model’s 2.7s official time. Asked what is more important to 2017 GT-R owners than the Nurburgring and acceleration, Tamura-san highlighted one of our biggest criticisms of all R35s to date.  " too much rough, too much harsh, not good enough."And they were indeed quite rough-riding and noisy on all but the smoothest roads at slow speeds, with Autobot-esque mechanical noises often emanating from the complex dual-clutch transaxle beneath the rear end. The new model brings much more comfortable suspension (in regular and Comfort modes) and improved noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), with design benchmarks like enabling conversation between occupants at 300km/h. "In the past, the GT-R had a racy sound, but was rejected by 80 per cent ", Tamura-san said. The 2017 revisions deliver what Tamura-san describes as "the next premiumness", which he explains as "sophistication, but not just luxury, a solid feel.""Now selected noises are heard, we were not aiming for silence. With sports cars, there is always a tradeoff. A sports car needs some exciting notes for stimulation."Asked whether the GT-R needs to be more of a GT, or Grand Tourer for rapid long-distance travel, Tamura-san says GT-R "originated with GT, but with R", suggesting the GT-R isn’t about to lose its outright ‘Racer’ element of its name any time soon.  

Mainstream and sports brands make a play for luxury. Joshua Dowling and Richard Blackburn report.

Driving enthusiasts will have ample reasons to smile in the new year.

While Holden are set to start a V6 revolution by strapping a six-cylinder turbo into a Commodore when the "Gen 2" era begins, it appears Nissan will resist calls to put a Skyline GT-R on the grid and extend the reign of the Altima.News Corp Australia has been told Nissan, who come off-contract at the end of next year, will soon recommit to the sport and continue its four-car assault beyond 2017 by signing a new multi-year deal with Nissan Motorsport Australia.But despite popular demand and a new set of rules that have made a return possible, Nissan will not unleash the GT-R — the giant-killing car known as "Godzilla" that dominated the early 1990s.The 90-page "Gen 2" document has been sent to Nissan HQNissan will stick with the four-door Altima sedan.The 90-page "Gen 2" document has been sent to Nissan HQ in Japan with NISMO bosses set to examine the document."Nissan has been in discussion with V8 Supercars for some time regarding the technical regulations for 2017 and beyond," Nissan said in a statement."The next major step in our decision-making process is to work with NISMO in Japan on closely examining the Gen2 V8SC Technical Regulations so that we can evaluate our options."

Nissan is considering unleashing a monster, revealing that Godzilla is in line for a V8 Supercars return.

The 2016 Nissan GT-R hybrid supercar will be as distinctive as its ancestor. Just as the latest Godzilla film epic has hit the screens, testing has begun in Europe on the first prototypes of its automotive namesake, the Nissan GT-R.When the next GT-R premeieres in 2016, expect a hybrid supercar capable of catapulting to 100km/h in less than 2.5 seconds.Insiders predict a car with a twin-turbocharged V6 making 440kW abetted by a 115kW electric motor, feeding through a hi-tech all-wheel-drive system.The car will continue as a coupe but with much smoother styling to improve its aerodynamic performance. It is also on a major weight-reduction regime - including use of lightweight carbon-fibre - to trim about 180kg."Of course we have a program to renew the GT-R. But we still have a little more to go. Then we renew it," says Nissan chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura."GT-R is a very important asset for the company." He says design work is well under way on a reinvention of a car that has become a global icon, promising a body that is just as distinctive as the current one.He rules out a continuation of the "gundam" theme - taken from Japanese animated robot series - but promises it will be another landmark car."It's the heritage of GT-R. When we design a new-generation GT-R we will design it as a GT-R. It must be an evolution." Nakamura designed the current GT-R and has taken personal control of the new one, partly because he understands the history of a performance car with its roots in the 1960s."My generation is the sports car generation. I'm designing it for myself. Most of the customers for the car are quite old, like me," he says. Surprisingly, Nakamura also reveals the next GT-R is likely to be repackaged as an Infiniti. Nissan's upscale brand is making good ground in the US but struggling in countries including Australia, where it has yet to achieve recognition among luxury buyers."Because of its price, performance and package, it would work well," he says.

Hungarian design master X-Tomi has released an impression of what the next Nissan GT-R could look like, and has shown how the styling of the Japanese carmaker's Sports Sedan could translate onto the performance hero.The Sport Sedan Concept unveiled at Detroit motor show is believed to be pointing to the development of the next Maxima sedan, which is due for a refresh. However X-Tomi has adapted its cues to the GT-R and the sleek nose with its sweptback headlights look to be a good fit.A new generation of the GT-R is rumoured to be just a couple of years away, but in the meantime Nissan gave the current car a dose of steroids to develop a Nismo version at November's Tokyo motor show.The GT-R Nismo's twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 engine has been tweaked to deliver 441kW of power and 650Nm of torque -- 37kW and 22Nm more than the current GT-R's 404kW and 628Nm -- with revised intake and exhaust systems, upgraded fuel pump, bigger and harder-breathing turbos drawing on the GT3 race car, and improved individual ignition timing for each cylinder.We’ve already test-driven the 2015 GT-R NISMO on the track at Japan’s Sodegauro Forest Raceway and found it to be even easier to drive at very fast speeds than the previous modelWatch the Nissan GT-R Nismo video reviewThe suspension -- with three modes: Comfort, Normal and (track) R -- has also been revised, with specially-tuned springs and custom-developed Bilstein DampTronic dampers front and rear, and specifically-developed links for the double-wishbone front.The GT-R has already clocked a lap at Germany's Nurburgring with a time of 7:08.679 -- yes, nearly 12 seconds behind the Porsche 918 Spyder's Ring record of 6:57. However, Nissan is stressing that the GT-R's time is a record for a 'volume production car', while the 918 is a small production run -- and much more expensive than the GT-R.Watch the Nissan GT-R Nismo Nurburgring lap video hereThis reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Rumours of a hybrid drivetrain for Mitsubishi’s next-generation Evolution performance flagship are gaining momentum, with a new report by Japanese magazine Holiday Auto suggesting that the next Evo will maintain its traditional turbo petrol and all-wheel drive attributes with green-friendly plug-in hybrid power.According to the report, the Evo will benefit from technology developed for efficiency-focused models like the new plug-in Outlander SUV to improve on the current model’s combined fuel consumption of at least 10.1L/100km, while boosting performance to new levels.Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari have recently proven that the words performance and hybrid are not at all mutually exclusive with their 918 Spyder, P1, and LaFerrari fastest-ever models, and it’s only a matter of time before such tech trickles down to more affordable performance models like the Evo.The Mitsubishi is not the only bang-for bucks champion in line for hybridisation, with Nissan’s next GT-R also set to incorporate some form of efficiency-boosting electrification and Honda has confirmed a similar shift for its upcoming NSX.Holiday Auto suggests that the Evo will use a similar dual electric motor layout to the Outlander PHEV, but will ditch the SUV’s atmo 2.0-litre petrol engine for a smaller 1.1 litre turbo unit similar to that used by the XR and AR concepts shown in Tokyo recently.Mitsubishi is reportedly targeting outputs similar to a 3.0-litre aspirated engine for the Evo-spec 1100cc unit, which suggests something in the vicinity of 170kW, before electric power is factored in.   Such a 155kW/L specific output would mark a significant jump from the 108.6kW/L achieved from the 217kW 2.0-litre turbo unit in the existing Evo X, and exceed even the 133.1kW/L achieved by 265kW 2.0 litre four powering the Mercedes A45 and CLA45 AMG twins.Even with the Outlander PHEV’s dual 60kW electric motors, a circa-170kW petrol engine would have the potential to trounce the current Evo X, but these could be uprated in the pursuit of GT-R rivalling performance reported elsewhere.Also key to a hybrid Evo’s performance potential will be maintaining the Outlander PHEV’s battery system location ahead of the rear axle for the benefit of weight distribution.Other reports have suggested that the next Evolution will require a bespoke platform to deal with its unique packaging and performance demands, suggesting it could lose the Lancer name for the first time in the model’s history.Such a repositioning would mirror Nissan’s GT-R, which was distanced from the Skyline nameplate for the first time when the current R35 model launched in 2007.The next-generation Lancer is set to ride on a platform shared with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but it is unclear whether this strategy extends to the mooted Evo replacement.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn

Godzilla got a dose of steroids for the Tokyo motor show, with Nissan debuting the Nissan GT-R Nismo, and the full details and images confirm the leaked information we brought to you yesterday.The GT-R Nismo's twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 engine will deliver 441kW of power and 650Nm of torque -- 37kW and 22Nm more than the current GT-R's 404kW and 628Nm -- although Nissan hasn't yet revealed whether the peak figures have moved from the 6400rpm and 3200-5800rpm rev bands respectively.Work on the engine has included revised intake and exhaust systems, upgraded fuel pump, bigger and harder-breathing turbos drawing on the GT3 race car, and improved individual ignition timing for each cylinder.The underpinnings have been given a decent going-over for imporved stability and handling, with new specially-tuned springs and custom-developed Bilstein DampTronic dampers front and rear, and three switchable settings: Comfort, Normal and (track ready) R.The front's double-wishbone has specifically-developed links that increase castor trail to improve performance and stability in high-G cornering and straight-line blasting, while a 17.3mm hollow rear anti-roll bar raises stiffness while trimming weight.Large high-rigidity bolts boost the wheel-hub attachment stiffness, and adhesive bonding in addition to spot welding increase the body shell's rigidity under load. Nismo 255/40 ZRF20 front and 285/35 ZRF20 rear tyres developed exclusively for the car wrap the black six-spoke wheels inspired by the GT500 race hero.Other race-inspired features add to the aggression and improves aerodynamics and road-gripping: a carbon-fibre wing, wider front bumper and engine undercover strake keep the drag to 0.26. The cockput gets ergonomic carbon-fibre backed Recaro seats, an Alcantara-wrappped three-spoke steering wheel -- with centre marking -- and red stitching to set off the carbon finish accents.The GT-R Nismo is said to have already logged a scorching Nurburgring lap time of 7:08.69 -- still behind the Porsche 918 Spyder's record of 6:57, but costing considerably less and claimed to be the fastest "volume production car" to date -- while fitted with the optional pack that trims 65kg and adds manually adjustable Ohlins dampers. The Nissan GT-R Nismo will go on sale overseas early next year, but there is currently no plan to bring it down under.