Nissan GT-R going green

NISSAN announced the next generation GT-R will be a hybrid. Besides using electricity to reduce emissions, but also to boost performance.

Andy Palmer, Nissan's sales, engineering and marketing boss, believes that environmentally friendly cars needn't be boring.

Palmer said: “There is an inevitability about electrification of all cars in the future, and there is the very real prospect of enhancements coming from it on a sports car like the Nissan GT-R.

“The electric systems can fill in the gaps in the torque curve and offer genuine performance gains, as well as lowering emissions. It’s a win-win, and I’d expect to see some form of hybridisation on the next generation of car.”

The current GT-R has been around for while now as it arrived in late 2007. Still, it's a seriously fast car and has already set a high benchmark. A four-wheel-drive performance car; powered by a twin-turbo 3.8 litre V6, that pumps out 545bhp with 463lb ft of torque. That gets the GT-R to 60mph in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it 2.9 seconds. That's quick by anyone's standards.

Nissan are no stranger to making electrically powered cars as seen with the boring Leaf. But the next generation GT-R is aiming to be a car that's fast, fun, exciting and kinder to the planet. The current GT-R is due to be replaced in 2015.