Many of us lament the passing of the Nissan Skyline name, as well as that of the GT-R. For decades, the two were synonymous with each other, and the GT-R itself has been a name more recently associated with ‘Godzilla’, the sports car that launched in 2009.
Production of the GT-R itself concluded in 2025, while the Skyline name hasn’t been seen for some time. However, with the name about to turn 70 years old, it looks like it is set to make a return, along with a new version of the GT-R sports car.
The Skyline name has been used on all sorts of cars, ranging from the famous GT-Rs of the 1980s and 1990s, to pickup trucks and even a crossover, but it is now set to return with a sports sedan, which we had a glimpse of back in April 2026. The wraps are set to come off the car in the winter of 2026.
Enthusiasts will of course be over the moon that a new GT-R is also on the way. This will be the GT-R R36, and it is a direct successor to Godzilla, with more details due to be shared as 2026 goes on.
What We Know About the New Nissan Skyline
While Japan will get the Skyline with a Nissan badge, that won’t be the case in the United States. The Japanese manufacturer has confirmed it will return to America as an Infiniti Skyline, with Infiniti, of course, the luxury division of the Nissan company.
It is potentially going to be called the Q50 Skyline, and should feature rear-wheel drive as well as a manual transmission. In terms of what is under the hood, there has been no official word as yet on this from Nissan. However, it is likely to have the same twin-turbocharged V6 engine as the Nissan Z, which makes 420hp and 384lb-ft of torque in the manual Nismo version of the sports car.
Do not be surprised to see an automatic-transmission version with all-wheel drive also hit the market. In terms of its looks, Nissan has been coy so far. We have had a couple of teaser images, but we will have to wait until winter 2026 before we get a proper look at the new Skyline. Nissan said the new car will look “aggressive and modern, with proportions that recall the original, but with a design that looks ahead.” So they are certainly promising something very impressive.
A new Nissan GT-R has got enthusiasts very excited
The biggest news for enthusiasts, though, is that a new Nissan GT-R is in the works, and it won’t be an EV either. This will be a separate car entirely from the Skyline, and it will become the GT-R R36. According to Nissan CEO and president Ivan Espinosa, there will be more details on the new sports car shared ‘later on,’ but no timeframe for this has been given.
The original GT-R, launched in 2009, has been described as one of the best Japanese cars ever produced, and arguably one of the best sports cars as well. It has won all sorts of awards over the years, and it could take on more expensive rivals from the likes of Porsche and Ferrari and easily come out on top. Power came from a 3.8-liter VR38DETT twin-turbocharged V6, producing 473 hp initially, and rising to 710hp in the GT-R50 model.