The Future Of Nissan’s Combustion Engines Has Been Decided

Nissan has firmly stated that its future is electric and that it is certainly not investing in new combustion engines. Speaking with Australian publication Drive, Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for the AMIEO region (that’s Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania), Francois Bailly, curtly responded to questions about new engines, saying, “Our future is EV,” adding, “We’re not investing in [a] new powertrain for ICE, that’s for sure.” He also said that “e-Power is a stepping stone to get there, and each market will go at their own pace,” suggesting that future vehicles, of which there are several planned, will still offer combustion, but only in hybrid form and only using existing engines.

Still No News About The GT-R

Nissan has yet to confirm what the next GT-R will be like, with some reports suggesting a hybrid powertrain and others pointing to an all-electric successor. Many of these rumors are plausible, and BaillIy’s comments leave either option open. Given how long the current R35 generation has soldiered on with the same 3.8-liter V6, it would not be a surprise to hear that the R36 retains the VR38 but cleans up its emissions with electrification.

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With the introduction of the Ariya Nismo earlier this year, it’s clear that Nissan has no issue with updating what a Nismo product means for the electrified age. In fact, in a separate interview, Bailly said that he is open to more Nismo-branded EVs, saying that Nissan wants to expand its performance arm. With regards to the GT-R and Z sports cars, all we know for sure is that new models are definitely in development.

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A Contrast To Compatriots

Nissan’s decision to keep existing engines alive with electrification until EVs take over is at odds with that of fellow Japanese automakers Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda, who will collaborate on new combustion engines together. These engines will be carbon-neutral – running on biofuels, hydrogen, and synthetic fuels. All of these fields are promising, but it seems that Nissan is confident that what it has already developed is good enough to tide it over until EVs level the playing field. While it’s a little concerning that Nissan has no immediate plans to further the development of the combustion engine when the uptake rate of EVs is slowing, it’s worth remembering that Bailly was speaking specifically to Australian media when making his comments and noted that Nissan’s powertrain strategy would vary by market.

Source:
Drive