The automotive world is in the midst of a radical transformation and age-old rivalries are transforming into alliances. Recent industry rumblings indicate that two of the greatest supercar manufacturers in Japan may be taking a page out of, well, everyone else’s book by the sharing of platforms among halo cars… namely, the R36 GT-R and the upcoming NSX successor. If this partnership really does come to pass, it would be a tectonic shift in the competitive environment surrounding Japanese performance car development over the past many decades.
The Evolution of GT-R and NSX
The te Nissan GT-R has forever been a yardstick by which all other Japanese performance cars have been compared. The R35 GT-R, since its renaissance in 2007, has become notorious throughout the world as one of the most advanced super sports cars in the world. With a refined all-wheel-drive system, twin-turbo V6 and cutting-edge electronics, the GT has been able to out-perform cars that cost double or more.
In the other corner there’s the Honda NSX, the supercar that’s always been about doing things accurately and neatly. The 1990 to 2005 first-generation NSX, with an aluminum structure and a naturally aspirated V6 engine, contrived a kind of revolution in supercar design. The second-generation NSX, unveiled in 2016, featured a sophisticated hybrid powertrain that made it clear that Honda was still a company that believed in technological progress.
The Strategic Logic of Shared Platforms
The trend toward high levels of electrification in the automotive industry, and tightening environmental regulations, have made automakers rethink their strategies for development. The development of custom low-volume high-performance car platforms is also becoming increasingly difficult for financial and engineering reasons. If the two partners then shared the same platforms, the investment required to develop those platforms could be reduced dramatically by the two firms and the timescale for launching new models could be shortened.
Such collaboration would enable each company to share its strengths in various areas. CHAPTER6 Nissan has overwhelming strength in all-wheel-drive and turbocharging technologies, and Honda possesses a high level of achievement in the development of hybrid-drive trains and chassis. When all these strengths are put together, we could be see some supercars that change the definition of what’s possible with power and efficiency.
Technical Considerations for Platform Sharing
A cooperative approach to the R36 GT-R/next-gen NSX’s platform will probably feature some serious hybrid powertrains, high-power ICEs and electric motors working in tandem to unleash high performance with high efficiency. The platform could adopt a lightweight approach, using the know-how each firm has in materials science, including the possibility of using carbon fiber or complex aluminum alloys to manage both weight distribution and rigidity.
The all-wheel-drive systems of both cars could be polished and shine for a more accurate power split between the four wheels which would improve both the race track behavior of the cars as well as the daily drive experience. This common architecture would also enable the creation of adaptable suspension systems that can change character between comfort, sport, and track modes, such flexibility growing all the more desirable for today’s breed of supercar buyer.
Background and Trade Practice
Direct platform sharing between Nissan and Honda is unheard of, but automakers love some good cross-pollination. The Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ are a prime example of how platform sharing can be used by two manufacturers without watering down of brand identities. OK, BMW and Toyota working together on the Z4 and Supra is proof that a handful of former rivals can come together for the greater good.
Competition among Japanese car manufacturers has always been very intense historically. But the realities of electrification, autonomous driving technology, shifting consumer desires, have made the new reality a more interactive one. The possible alliance of Nissan and Honda is a natural mature reply to these business-wide obstacles.
Challenges in Design and Brand Identity
A major problem with the use of shared platforms is a loss of identity, from a brand perspective. The GT-R makes no attempt at subtlety, instead focusing on raw performance numbers. The other hand, the NSX is all about the upper end of refinement and technology. Designers at both companies would have to be careful to make sure shared components don’t dilute the distinctiveness of each auto.
The interior design of cabins, the look of the exteriors, as well as, user interfaces would still have to be different to maintain brand identity. This struggle gives both manufacturers a chance to innovate in areas where they can each apply their own design philosophies within the confines of a shared platform.
Requisites and Limitations of Competence
Some industry analysts argue that a common platform might make it possible to reach the sort of performance numbers that would have been unheard of from earlier generations of the R36 GT-R and next-gen NSX. Assuming hybrid powertrains capable of providing more than 700 horsepower for track use, 0-60 times might undercut three seconds while remaining affordable and reliable in a way Japanese supercars tend to be.
This would see a shared platform with torque vectoring all-wheel drive, active aerodynamics and map-based driver assistance systems for improved performance and safety. These attributes would have surely kept both models in the game with their European rivals, and still keeping true to the Japanese tradition of attainable performance.
Environmental concerns and electricification
And with the car world going electric, platform sharing is all the more important. Electric and hybrid drivetrains are extremely expensive to develop, which is why it makes so much sense for the automakers to work together. Given their common platform, these architectures would support a number of electrification levels from mild-hybrid through to fully electric, enabling scale while regulations and market conditions develop.
Both firms can gain from joint research and development in battery technology, electric motor design, and thermal management. Perhaps this partnership could speed up the process of creating solid-state batteries, or another form of next-gen energy storage that leaves supercar performance in the dust.
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The collaboration could help R36 GT-R and next-generation NSX in a bid to counter well respected European supercar makers. By splitting cost in development, the two models could potentially offer great value for money while featuring the very latest technology only seen at a significantly higher price point.
Shared development could also enable both companies looking for new markets to do so without the high costs of unique platforms that multiple variants of either companies’ flagship models might bring.
Timeline and Barriers to Development
Both companies’ engineering teams would have to coordinate closely in order to integrate shared platforms on the proposed combined timeline. Automotive platforms in general will lead 4 to 5 years of development until serial production. Should Nissan and Honda be developing strategies like this, we’re likely to see news on particular technology details in a matter of a year or two, with a countdown to get them on production models sometime in the late 2020s.
So the process would have to be developed to optimize whatever elements could be shared among all vehicles while integrating the special needs of each car. This might involve factors such as weight distribution, crash structures, points to mount different powertrains and space for a variety of different suspension set ups that could potentially differ on each model.
Implications to the Industry and Further Work
This could be a precedent for similar joint ventures in the performance car space. And now that the industry is naturally progressing, don’t be surprised when we hear about even more manufacturers teaming up to share the heavy cost load of developing cutting edge technologies. Other rivals may be enticed into such alliances if this one works.
The common architecture approach could also have bigger implications for the overall product plan of the two companies and could have ramifications for collaboration in other vehicle segments that would be similarly beneficial. This has the potential to change the competitive dynamics of the world’s auto industry, especially in the high-performance market space.
In Summary
It’s not just that there’s hardcore business sense in Nissan and Honda co-creating the underpinnings of their headline supercars. Although they will no doubt want to preserve what makes the GT-R and NSX legendary, working together on these models could signal the start of an era of Japanese super cars that have the very best attributes of both manufacturers.
With the automotive industry forging ahead with the electrification movement and higher eco-awareness among consumers, similar partnerships could be expected in the future. The proposed partnership between the R36 GT-R and new-generation NSX could well be the benchmark for how traditional adversaries can come together to produce crazy cars that are both ridiculous and sustainable in terms of performance, accessible in terms of affordability and environment-friendly in terms of operation.
The next few months will be essential as both firms weigh the potential to enter into partnership. And perhaps, just perhaps, the world’s automotive enthusiasts will get a front-row seat to the rebirth of next generation Japanese supercars that push the boundaries of what’s capable when industry titans work together instead of against each other.