Godzilla isn’t dead, it’s just resting and being redeveloped as a hybrid.
On Wednesday at the 2026 New York auto show, Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America, Ponz Pandikuthira, exclusively told The Drive that “I’d say by 2028 you’ll see some concrete announcements, and hopefully before the decade turns you’ll see an R36 GT-R.”
There is a core group of enthusiasts in Japan working on the next-gen GT-R roaming the halls of Nissan, according to Pandikuthira.
Pandikuthira said the R36 “has to be” on a new chassis and “it’s going to be an all-new car.”
Interestingly, Pandikuthira said the “powertrain’s going to be mostly new.” That word mostly is key.
“If there was a hybrid powertrain, the block of that VR38 engine (which was the engine in the R35 GT-R) is so great. Why would you throw that away? But maybe the way combustions matter needs to be very different. Maybe the heads are very different. Maybe the pistons are very different. So maybe we have to change top end,” Pandikuthira said.
Pandikuthira noted that the R35’s powertrain wasn’t going to meet emissions in various regions and that he “wants this to be a global car.” That means the R36 will have to meet and pass strict upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations.
“The next generation GTR will need some level of electrification,” Pandikuthira. But noted “So, does it need to be a full EV? Probably not, but it does need to have some level of electrification to meet, to future proof. emissions, compatibility.”
But while the formula will be remixed the results and goals remain the same. Pandikuthira mentioned the word Nürburgring, which is where the R35 GT-R was honed and developed when tested outside of Japan.
In 2025, Pandikuthira told The Drive the next-gen GT-R will be a hybrid arriving in three to five years. What was thought to be an electric successor has evolved into (seemingly) a twin-turbo V6 hybrid resurrection. And fans of the R35’s VR38 engine can rest easy as it sounds like Nissan’s starting with a beloved basis known to easily handle more power than what Nissan shipped the car with from the factory.
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