Nissan confirms GT-R will return, other sports cars possible

In the wake of a recent conference outlining its future business strategy, Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa confirmed to reporters that a next-gen GT-R is in development. But that’s not all. He also said he wants other sports cars, including – you guessed it – a new Silvia (also known as the 240SX in North America) to join the lineup. Stop us if you’ve heard that one before.

We reported on Espinosa’s affinity for the Silvia (S14 pictured below) nameplate last year, which you can check out here. Basically, he’s been a fan of the long-departed, affordable sports coupe since he first started working at Nissan in 2003, and he’d love to see it come back. He didn’t make any guarantees then, nor has he now, but reiterated he hopes Nissan can add an affordable Silvia-like sports car to the lineup. Eventually.

“If I want to make an affordable car that is sporty, instead of making a spicy Sentra, I will probably go and make a Silvia – a real affordable sports car,” he told reporters in Japan, and reported by Edmunds.com.

But, as we reported before, he didn’t confirm a new Silvia is in development. He did, however, confirm we’ll be getting a new GT-R. And while details are scarce because it's still in early development, several reports, including those from Motor1.com, suggest the R36 will carry some form of hybridization. But it won’t be an EV, which is good news.

Its appearance, powertrain, and tech package are all unknowns for now, but we think the Hyperforce Concept (pictured above), which was first shown at the Japan Mobility Show in 2023, sure has a lot of GT-R energy.

While the R36 probably won’t arrive until near the end of the decade, the fact that it’s been confirmed is welcome news for performance enthusiasts everywhere.

Photos courtesy of Nissan

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