Nissan announced some grim numbers overnight in its latest financial update, with more job cuts and factory closures confirmed. However, it also teased some things to look forward to, including a new Skyline.
The Japanese carmaker said it’s working to shorten the development lead time of its new vehicles to 37 months, with subsequent models based on these to take 30 months – down from 52 months and 50 months, respectively.
Vehicles that will be developed under these tighter timeframes will include not only the Skyline, but also a new “global C SUV” and a new Infiniti “compact SUV” – the latter two being potentially a new Nissan X-Trail/Rogue and an Infiniti based on this mid-size SUV.
But beyond this one-line mention of the Skyline and how long its development time will be, Nissan hasn’t confirmed any other details.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
-
Current Nissan Skyline Nismo
We therefore don’t know when it will be launched or what markets it will be sold in, if any, outside of Japan, much less what shape it will take.
The current Skyline sedan is exclusively offered in Japan, and is little more than a rebadged version of the Infiniti Q50 that ended production in 2024.
The Q50/Skyline first entered production in 2013, making it the oldest model in its segment. Its FM platform dates back even earlier, to the 2001 V35 Skyline/Infiniti G.
-
Nissan Z
It’s unclear, then, if Nissan will – out of expediency, and in the interests of keeping development costs low – simply revise the current vehicle.
There’s precedent for this. The Nissan Z is a heavily overhauled version of its 370Z predecessor, while even outside of Nissan, the rival Lexus IS received little more than a reskin in 2020 after its current generation entered production in 2013.
Previous reports by Japanese outlet Best Car Web in 2023 suggested the Skyline nameplate could become an electric SUV, with a later report suggesting the name could instead be applied to a vehicle using Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system. Now, the same outlet suggests it’ll continue to be a combustion-powered sedan.
-
Nissan Skyline Crossover
There would be precedent for a Skyline SUV, however, with Nissan having previously sold the Infiniti EX in Japan as the Skyline Crossover.
The outgoing Skyline is currently offered exclusively with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine.
It’s unclear if its replacement will once again have an Infiniti twin, though Nissan notes it plans to “revitalise” its premium brand “through synergies with the Nissan brand”.
The Skyline is the last sedan remaining in Nissan’s Japanese lineup following the axing of the Fuga/Cima (aka Infiniti Q70) last year. Nissan doesn’t sell any of its Chinese or American sedans, like the Altima/Teana, in its home market.
-
Nissan’s scrapped fastback EV
As for Infiniti, it’s now an SUV-only brand following the axing of the Q50 and its Q60 coupe sibling.
Recently, the company also scrapped plans for new US-built electric fastbacks for the Nissan and Infiniti brands that could conceivably have replaced the defunct Q50 and its ageing Skyline twin.
Skyline is one of the oldest model nameplates in the industry, having debuted in 1957 on a vehicle produced by the Prince Motor Company. It was continued by Nissan after the two companies merged in 1967.
Among Nissan’s current lineup, only the Patrol nameplate is older.
