All-new Nissan Nismo sports car under development

Nissan's performance arm, Nismo, is readying a new flagship model for international markets. Expected to be a standalone sports car that will arrive this decade, Nissan Nismo CEO Takao Katagiri confirmed to our sister publication Autocar UK that the new unnamed model will be sold in the international markets, following its initial release in Japan.

1. Expected to be an indirect successor of the Nissan GTR
2. Likely to feature a hybrid powertrain

Nissan Nismo sportscar: expected powertrain, launch timeline

The new car, likely to be the GTR's successor, could get a hybrid powertrain. Katagiri also confirmed that a “combination” of hybrid and EV models will also be launched.

The company executives had previously told that performance EVs will need to be powered by solid-state batteries. However, Richard Moore, strategy boss of the West Midlands Gigafactory, stated that they are still 10 years away from making these batteries and applying them into mainstream production cars. Therefore, if the new car is to be viable for international markets, a hybrid option will be the most likely starting point.

However, a fully electric powertrain could be the next move for Nissan, as François Bailly, senior vice president and chief planning officer, previously told Autocar UK: “I would love to have an EV sports car, but we need to organise. We’re not ready to announce the sequence, but it’s clearly on the table.”

Nissan’s time table for solid-state batteries gives clues about when the enthusiast-oriented EV could arrive. Research is in a relatively advanced phase and a pilot factory is due to come online in 2024. The technology is expected to be ready by 2026 and the first production cars using it should be on the road by 2028.

Nissan in India

Back in October, Nissan showcased three new SUVs in India – X-Trail, Juke and Qashqai. Out of the three SUVs, the brand confirmed that it will be launching the X-Trail in the market, which will rival the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Kodiaq. Nissan currently sells the Magnite compact SUV and the Kicks midsize SUV in India, with the latter unlikely to be around for much longer owing to its ageing platform.