The R35 Nissan GT-R is poised to move into a more luxurious market position, according to GT-R programme manager Hiroshi Tamura. He said the current GT-R still has some targets to achieve, which indicates there might not be major changes to the 2016 model, performance wise.
In an interview with Top Gear, Tamura said, “let’s get to the more simple question – when is the next GT-R coming? Not yet, because I want to hit some of the other objectives first.” Nissan apparently plans to improve on the GT-R’s creature comforts, including a premium leather interior and high-end sound system.
“I want to make the GT-R more premiere. Not just fancy, but real premium. Quality,” he said. “Handling quality, ride and comfort quality, NVH quality, some high quality in the body construction. We still have big opportunities here.”
Nissan isn’t saying when the changes will be implemented, but Tamura hinted the GT-R Egoist is a good preview of what is to come. “The next-GT-R is not so near from here. First, I want to show more sophistication in this GT-R,” said Tamura.
Does this mean that an “RS” badged GT-R is out of the question? “Fifty years ago, 200 hp was a top sports car. Then 300 hp. Now 600 hp is commonplace in super sports. Something beyond that is huge energy to control,” said Tamura. “I don’t want to say anything about the reality of an ‘RS’, because the customer expectation might be 800 hp or 900 hp.
“Is that OK for my philosophy on confident driving? Not just safety, but a stable feeling when you hit the gas? That connection is important to me. That’s why for an RS, it’s not so easy,” he said.
