Temper your expectations—it’s almost certainly a continuation of the calm sedan lineage, not a GT-R comeback
With the R35 Nissan GT-R now officially part of automotive history, fans are eagerly scanning for any hint of an R36 successor. So when Nissan issued a press release outlining its roadmap back to profitability, one detail caught our attention: the Skyline name is making a return.
Yes, a new Nissan Skyline is in development. Unfortunately, that’s about all we know so far. And despite the headline hype, it’s probably not the news GT-R fans were hoping for.
If you’re a long-time Car Throttle reader, you already know the Skyline lineage is more than just the legendary R-chassis GT-Rs. But for the newcomers: the GT-Rs we love were built on the bones of more practical commuter cars—think of it like the relationship between a BMW M3 and a standard 3 Series.
After the R34 GT-R, the Skyline name carried on without its performance halo, reappearing on more subdued saloons—and even a short-lived SUV. In many global markets, these cars were rebadged as Infinitis.
The current (13th) generation, better known as the Infiniti Q50, has been around since 2014. The upcoming Skyline is expected to replace that model, though we’re not sure yet what form it’ll take. While we’re hoping for a traditional saloon, an SUV variant isn’t off the table—especially given recent trends.
Now, while a full-blown Skyline GT-R revival is highly unlikely, there is still room for a performance-focused version. The outgoing model even had a 400bhp 400R variant—not to be confused with the legendary R33 Nismo 400R.
Expect the new Skyline to be a Japan-exclusive offering. There’s no word yet on an Infiniti version for North America, and frankly, it’s unlikely to have any impact here in Europe.
