Nissan GT-R future in doubt?

Next up in the "Whoa, what?!" department is a report on Inside Line wondering whether the current Nissan GT-R will be the last Nissan GT-R. The website's sources have learned that Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has yet to sign off on a next-generation car, which suggests the future model hasn't even begun development. And those same sources say they're not sure Ghosn will ever give the green light.

We're only speculating, but perhaps the problem – if there really is a problem and this isn't Ghosn machinating – has to do with this tidbit taken from the IL story: "Ghosn approved the original GT-R only after being assured that it would make money for the company even at low volumes." We wouldn't be suprised if the shade under 6,000 sales in four years is quite a bit lower than the "low volumes" predicted in Nissan's original cost/benefit calculus.

Yes, the 2013 iteration has 55 more horsepower than the original model and a 2.7-second 0-to-60 (96 km/h) time, and yes, you'd look a long time for a $100K car to match its performance, but at that price, the GT-R is mixing with the kinds of sexy metal that can bring attributes to the table that the GT-R can't match.

But of course, along with not knowing if Ghosn will approve a followup to the current car, we don't know why he hasn't done it already – maybe he's changed his mind about that Infiniti GT-R after all, or maybe he hopes you'll be satisfied with the Juke-R. If this car is a "one-hit wonder," though, it was certainly a wonder, if perhaps not enough of a sales hit.

News Source: Inside Line

Image Credit: Nissan