Ever since Honda revealed that its Acura NSX sports coupe - due out soon but not, we fear, in South Africa - would be a hybrid, and that it would lap the Nurburgring faster than Nissan's GT-R, there's been speculation about the possibility of a hybrid powertrain for Nissan's halo car.
Edmunds Inside Line correspondent Sam Mitani recently pointed out that the GT-R will be six years old next year which, even for iconic performance cars, is about time for a new look. He confirmed that the GT-R is due for a refresh at the end of 2013, which will probably be limited to new plastics fore and aft, fancier lights (how much fancier can they get?) and sexy new trim.
UPPING THE GREEN QUOTIENT
But, whether project engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno uses the current GT-R engine and just adds a platter-sized electric motor between the flywheel and the transmission, or whether there's a whole new drivetrain on the stocks, Nissan will definitely need to up the car's 'green' credentials if it's not to lose ground to the competition from Honda and Porsche (never, never ignore the 918 - there's more to that program than meets the eye).
According to Edmunds, there is an all-new GT-R planned for around 2018 (our guess is that it will have a carbon-fibre tub, hybrid power and, quite possibly, all wheel-drive), but Nissan may not be able to wait that long, especially if the NSX lives up to Honda's hype.