The Nissan GT-R, one of the oldest production cars on sale today, will finally go on sale in Europe in light of tough new noise regulations coming into effect later this year.
Official confirmation of the move comes around 13 years after the GT-R first went on sale in Europe, and a few months after Nissan pulled its supercar from the Australian market due to stricter side-impact regulations.
In an official statement sent to Autocar, Nissan said: “13 years after its introduction to Europe as an icon of accessible high-performance automotive, we can confirm that European production of the GT-R will end in March 2022 in due to the new EU and UK training system. by noise regulations from July 1, 2021 (No. 540.2014).
The new regulations aim to reduce road noise with a view to alleviating sound-induced stress for pedestrians and people who live near roads. They will be tightened further in 2026 when the legal limit for engine noise is reduced to just 68dB – which could have serious implications for manufacturers of sports cars and performance exhaust systems.
The last examples of the GT-R will arrive in the UK this summer, and Nissan has yet to officially detail replacement plans.
The hardcore GT-R Nismo, which Autocar gave a facelift to earlier this month – 15 years after the GT-R was revealed, recently completed the range with 592bhp and a £180,000 price tag, but the standard car of 523 hp could be bought for about half.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida recently hinted to Autocar that electrification could provide the means for the Porsche 911 rival to survive in a new generation of ‘R36’: “We are looking at how we can make it electrified. It is something that is a truly professional sports vehicle without compromise.
“The Z is for someone like me who loves sports cars. The GT-R is a professional machine and we need to work on it for the future.
With the exit of the GT-R from the market, Nissan will no longer have a performance offering for sale in Europe. The new Z sports coupe uses a non-hybrid V6 that would negatively impact Nissan’s fleet emissions, so won’t be sold here.
Curiously, the brand recently revealed a futuristic convertible concept that hinted at the potential of its next-generation EV architecture to accommodate performance models.
Called Max-Out, the concept clearly looked way beyond the years ahead in terms of style and technology, but promised features such as “exceptional stability and comfort”, tight handling and body roll limited suggest it at least drew inspiration from the GT-R.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-16 18:36:30
