Despite Nissan’s terrible financial situation the two cars enthusiasts care most about, the Z and GT-R, appear to be secure. When a company posts an annual loss of $4.24 billion, as Nissan did for the fiscal year ending in March 2026, there’s always worry that a sports car or yet-to-be-developed flagship supercar will be the first head on the chopping block. Not so, says a new report.
First, the GT-R. According to The Drive Ponz Pandikuthira, Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America, a team of enthusiasts within Nissan are working on the R36 as we speak. Pandikuthira revealed that it will be an all-new car, not following the footsteps of the RZ34 as an evolution, major as it may be, of its predecessor.
Pandikuthira insisted that the chassis “has to be” new, while the powertrain will be “mostly” new. He cited the strength of the R35’s VR38 block, telling The Drive, “If there was a hybrid powertrain, the block of that VR38 engine is so great. Why would you throw that away?” while suggesting that the heads or pistons may change.
Crucially, Pandikuthira wants the R36 to be a global car, which means meeting Europe’s strict emissions and fuel economy standards. That means a hybrid system is likely, and it also means the R36 will continue to challenge supercars their home turf.
As for the Z, Pandikuthira told The Drive that it’s getting a lot of older buyers. “There’s a lot of people who lusted after this car when they were teenagers and maybe in their 20s, and they couldn’t afford it. And then the car kind of just, you know, lost its way a little bit. They were never really enthused. But they love this version.”
He added, “We’ve got a pretty steady cadence at which we’re selling this car… You’re not getting the 22 year old who wants a car, they’re buying a cheaper car that they can tune.” The buyers tend to use them as a retirement gift to themselves, or as a “trophy car” because they’ve always wanted a Z.
As a result, Nissan’s decision recently to move the Z to a made-to-order sales model may fit this demographic well. Instead of stocking dealer lots with cars spec’ed to sell quickly, Nissan is letting buyers choose the color, trim, and options. “They are willing to wait because this is not somebody who’s using this car to get to work every day. So they’re willing to wait 3 to 6 months, the time it takes to build it, ship it over here,” Pandikuthira said.
As a result, that means more limited production versions of the Z, like the Heritage Edition in Midnight Purple. “It is going to be heritage based,” Pandikuthira explained, “Creat[ing] special editions that resonate with that heritage.” Frankly, we love the idea of built-to-order specialty cars, and wished Japanese companies to offer that more often.
While we wouldn’t quite describe this as “thriving”, it’s a relief to hear that Nissan isn’t canceling its two flagships in order to save money. The GT-R going hybrid doesn’t feel like a betrayal of the car’s ethos, and is necessary to keep up with elite supercar marques, most of which have hybrid offerings as well.
By contrast keeping the Z and Z NISMO, now with a manual transmission, more of a pure sports car is a good move as well. Hiroshi Tamura, chief project specialist for the Z and GT-R, once told us that the Z is more of a dance partner while the GT-R is an all-out track weapon. We’re just glad that Nissan sees room for both as it forges ahead.
