Nissan GT-R supercar may become electric four-door Porsche Taycan rival – report

The successor to the Nissan GT-R supercar may adopt electric power – and four doors for the first time – according to a new report out of Japan.

Japanese magazine Best Car claims the next-generation 'R36' GT-R is scheduled for launch in 2028 as an electric car using next-generation solid-state batteries, planned to reach mass production at that time.

Best Car claims it is "highly likely" the next Nissan GT-R will take the the form of a "four-door coupe" with four seats, pitched as a rival for the Porsche Taycan – with more power than the 560kW of the Taycan Turbo S.

If the report is accurate, it would represent a significant change for Nissan's flagship performance car, which has used six cylinders and petrol as fuel since the badge debuted on the Skyline coupe in the 1960s.

However the timeline given by Best Car suggests the GT-R would lead the roll-out of Nissan's solid-state battery technology, into which it has invested heavily, and says is the key to switching large four-wheel-drives and sports cars to electric power.

Nissan claims solid-state technology – which does not include any liquid as the battery's electrolyte – will make batteries smaller despite offering the same driving range as today's packs, while charging one-third faster and being cheaper to manufacture.

It has previously said it aims to bring its solid-state battery technology to a production car by Japanese financial year 2028 (April 2028 to March 2029).

The Best Car report has coincided with Nissan's announcement this week that it will add a "pilot [production] line" for developing and testing solid-state batteries to the same factory that builds the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 engine for the current Nissan GT-R.

Nissan says the Yokohama plant – which also builds electric motors for Nissan hybrid cars, and small turbo-petrol engines for certain models – is said to "[serve] as a pilot plant for the development of powertrain production technology that will have global applications."

It remains to be seen if the decision to choose the GT-R engine factory for the solid-state "pilot line" is a coincidence, or a good omen for the validity of the Best Car report.

Guillame Cartier – Nissan regional boss for Europe, Australia, Africa, India and the Middle East – recently highlighted to Australian media sports cars and large 4WDs as market segments that would benefit most from solid-state battery technology.

Speaking about Nissan's global plans for 27 hybrid and electric cars by 2030 – and when asked which would come to Australia – Mr Cartier told media: "the other question [is] ... the ones that are linked to solid-state batteries like sports cars".

He said: "You have two choices: either you reduce the size of the battery you are using today on the cars ... so that will make the cars more affordable and enlarge the number of people's rational that wants to buy [an electric vehicle].

"Or you can also use same size of battery, and by having [solid state] as the battery [technology], you will be more efficient and you can electrify some cars that today are not – sports car, Patrol, et cetera."