TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Nissan previews next GT-R

It's been available to 'drive' virtually since July last year, and now Nissan has confirmed it will unveil the real deal at the Tokyo motor show on October 29, potentially providing the first in-the-metal glimpse at its next-generation GT-R supercar.

The Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo was first revealed in June 2014 and was 'released' a month later to owners of the world's premier driving simulation, Gran Turismo 6 on PlayStation 3.

Now, the stunning concept supercar takes one step closer to reality by making its world debut – in real-life – at the Tokyo show in little more than three weeks.

Co-developed with Polyphony Digital, the actual Concept 2020 Vision GT differs little from the gob-smacking digital racer, but will appear at Tokyo in 'fire knight red' paint and with Nissan's latest 'V-motion' signature grille graphic.

Nissan has previously stated it has already begun work on the next-generation GT-R, and it's believed development has now moved from North America to Europe.

Indeed, when it showed the 2020 Vision GT concept more than a year ago, Nissan made it clear it was not merely a flight of fantasy.

"This is a look at what a high performance supercar from Nissan may look like in the future," said the Japanese car-maker at the time.

"Created by a team of young designers at Nissan Design Europe in London, England, the model was considered to have so much potential that it has benefited from input from an advanced engineering team based at Nissan Technical Centre in Atsugi, Japan.

"As a result, NISSAN CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo gives hints as to how a supercar of the future might look.

"But as a specialist in automotive design in three-dimensions, Nissan believes that the real-world is ready for the NISSAN CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo. Watch this space…"

The current Nissan GT-R NISMO is now not expected to arrive Down Under until next year, but the next GT-R is due on sale globally around 2018 – by which time the current (R35) GT-R will be more than a decade old -- and is expected to spawn a four-door Infiniti sibling.

Unlike Nissan's ill-fated ZEOD RC Le Mans racer, which was powered by a 1.5-litre triple-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and two electric motors, the next GT-R could be powered by a hybridised version of the existing model's 404kW/628Nm twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 co-developed by NISMO and nine-times Formula Once constructor's champion Williams.

It's believed Williams Hybrid Power (WHP), which created the electromechanical composite flywheel system now used by Porsche and Audi racers, will use the state-of-the-art technology to increase the new GT-R's power output to as much as 600kW.

Combined with specialised aero parts and materials previewed by the GT-R NISMO, the next 'Godzilla' will weigh significantly less than the R35 (1740kg), spelling improved fuel consumption, quicker acceleration, a higher top speed and better racetrack times.

The current 441kW/650Nm GT-R NISMO lowers the R35's claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time to about 2.5 seconds and set a new Nurburgring lap time of just 7:08.679 – 30 seconds better than the 2007 GT-R (7:38) and just 11 seconds slower than Porsche's 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid (6:57).

Nissan says that makes the NISMO GT-R the fastest 'volume production car' to lap the Nurburgring, since the 918 is a limited-edition model, as is McLaren's upcoming P1 GTR, which also has the target of a sub-seven-minute Nurburgring lap.

Also making its world debut on Nissan's Tokyo show stand will be a quirky electric concept car that purports to redefine transportation for a digital Japanese generation that grew up with the internet, Facebook, Twitter and SMS.

Curiously dubbed Teatro for Dayz -- a name that blends the Italian word for theatre (teatro) and a current Nissan mini-car – the company says the pure-electric concept was designed not so much for driving or cruising, but for occupants interested in creating, connecting and sharing.

While Generation-Y refers to people born during the 1980s and early 1990s, Nissan describes this new generation that went straight from the cradle to digital technology as ‘share natives’. And it's worried that, despite the fact it will reach driving age in a few years, it shows little interest in cars.

Teatro for Dayz’s boxy, floating-roof design, zero-emissions powertrain and state-of-the-art connectivity is Nissan’s remedy to get share natives interested in cars again.

The concept gets a Spartan white interior that the company says doubles as a blank canvas for occupants to express themselves artistically. Either that or Nissan hasn’t quite decided how the cabin should be decked out.

Inheriting a rethink of the LEAF’s EV technology adapted for mini-cars, the Teatro for Dayz is for all intents and purposes an iPhone on wheels. Media and crowd reaction to the car will ultimately seal its fate as to whether it reaches production.

Alongside these two world debuts at Tokyo, Nissan will also reveal the Gripz SUV concept that heralded the replacement for its 370Z sports car at last month's Frankfurt show, an upgraded LEAF with a greater driving range of up to 280km, and a range of new autonomous driving technologies.