Nissan’s boss of engineering, sales and marketing Andy Paler confirmed the next generation Nissan GT-R will be powered by a hybrid system. The name of the game is saving fuel and lowering emissions, but electric motors could also result in a healthy gain in power.

That seems to be the trend in the world of super and sports cars; one or two small electric motors are added to a big, powerful petrol engine. This way you get both the fuel economy and decent power. The only drawbacks we can think of include the cost and the complication of such systems, and of course the weight of the batteries and electric motors. Otherwise, they make a lot of sense.

Speaking to Autocar, 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 this and ending up 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 win-win, and I’d expect to see some form of hybridisation on the next generation of car.”

Besides the Nissan GT-R Hybrid, Palmer also waxed lyrical about the new GT-R Nismo, based on the current-generation, and how it is capable of banging in amazing Nurburgring lap times.