The auto industry has a way of playing tricks on us with the naming of certain models. Indeed, many purists of popular vehicles, like the Mitsubishi Eclipse or the Ford Mustang, were insulted to see these iconic nomenclatures affixed to an SUV. Well-founded rumors even tell us of a Corvette SUV; and when Lamborghini landed on the scene with the Urus which shared all of its components with Audi, several fists were thrown in the air.
Buckle up, because another legendary appellation from Japan is likely to find its way onto a sport utility vehicle. Indeed, it is the Nissan Skyline, one of the oldest automobile names in the Japanese automobile industry. According to reliable sources, this would be the name of an upcoming electric SUV from the manufacturer.
An Infiniti Skyline?
This information comes to us from the Japanese media Best Car which claims that Nissan has paused development of the next-generation Nissan Skyline sedan (marketed here as the Infiniti Q50) in favor of an electric SUV of the same name.
Note also that while many people associate the Nissan Skyline with the famous Skyline GT-R R32, R33 and R34 of the 1980s and 1990s, the GT-R version became a separate model in 2009. In fact, the Nissan Skyline is a sedan or a coupé marketed here under the name Infiniti G35 and G37 and, more recently, Q50 and Q60.
However, if Nissan really goes ahead with this nomenclature for an electric SUV in its native country, everything suggests that it would be an Infiniti product here. In all likelihood, this model would be largely based on the Nissan Ariya, that is, it would borrow its dedicated CMF-EV architecture.
Rumors say, however, that this mysterious electric SUV would be equipped with “multi-motor” technology; however, we do not know if it is a 2-, 3- or 4-motor engine. Our source nevertheless speaks of a total combined power of more than 450 horsepower.
And the GT-R?
What about the Nissan GT-R? Everything is still unclear at the moment, but it is clear that Nissan intends to continue offering it as a performance model. A next-generation model is said to be in the plans with some form of electrification. At the time of this writing, the GT-R was still on sale here, equipped with a powerful 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that produced 565 horsepower and 467 lb-ft of torque. A Nismo version bumps those numbers up to 600 horsepower and 481 lb-ft.
Conclusion
It is not surprising to see Nissan using a popular name to launch a new model in the market. What interests me above all is to see how the manufacturer intends to integrate a first electric vehicle into the Infiniti range in North America. Remember that Nissan’s luxury division has been struggling for a few years, with a range of aging models and no form of electrification. An electric SUV would be needed to boost sales.
