There’s been a lot of talk about Nissan’s plans for its next-generation GT-R, the R36, with senior execs recently confirming a hybrid powertrain for the car and Nissan also giving us a taste of some new design themes with its stunning Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo. Now the automaker’s top designer, Shiro Nakamura, has revealed when we might see the R36 GT-R.

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Speaking with Top Gear, Nakamura said the car’s arrival won’t be until 2018… at the earliest. This means we’re unlikely to see the car on sale until the 2019 model year, giving the current R35 GT-R a 10-year lifespan.

Nakamura explained that sales of the current GT-R remain healthy and that more updates are coming. In fact, we’ve already seen spy shots of an updated model, which we’re expecting to be introduced for the 2016 model year.

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The GT-R is still unmatched when it comes to performance per dollar, with the $150k GT-R NISMO model capable of lapping the ‘Ring in just 7:08.679, which is slower only than the times set by million-dollar supercars like the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder. Incredibly, Nakamura said the engineering team believes it can extract even more performance from the current setup.

Finally, Nakamura promised that the R36 GT-R would remain a front-engined coupe with 2+2 seating. As for its styling, he said some elements from the front and rear of the Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo may be borrowed.

Shiro Nakamura

Shiro Nakamura

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