Godzilla goes green: Nissan unveils mega Hyper Force concept – just don’t call it a GT-R

Nissan has opened a window into its electric performance future, pulling the covers off a 1000kW monster it calls the Hyper Force concept at the Japan Mobility Show.

And for those eagle-eyed among you, it might look a little familiar, especially around the rear lights. But while the brand is willing to drop plenty of hints that this will be an all-electric version of the GT-R – including equipping the model with two drive modes, GT (Grand Touring) and R (Race) – it is unwilling to directly use those three letters itself.

But the four-seat performance EV sounds like it would be a worthy replacement for an ICE Godzilla, with 1000kW of power, a sizeable solid-state battery and Nissan’s e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive system.

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Elsewhere, you’ll find a significant focus on downforce and aero, much of which was designed by Nissan’s actual engineers with a view to future production, as well as the liberal use of high-strength carbon to reduce weight and increase stiffness – giving the Hyper Force “enhanced cornering and exceptional handling on circuits and winding roads”

“Marking a paradigm shift in the performance-car genre, the Nissan Hyper Force caters to the ever-evolving preferences of environmentally conscious customers,” says Nissan.

“With its eco-friendliness, electrifying performance, and cutting-edge safety equipment, this concept is Nissan’s vision for a next-generation, all-electric high-performance supercar.”

Things get a little weirder from there, with the Hyper Force employing in-cabin VR so you can “drive in both the real and the virtual world seamlessly.”

Basically, a VR headset lives in the Hyper Force’s cabin, so when you stop you can log-on to your favourite racing game and cut a few laps, before ditching the headset and taking off again in real life.

But perhaps the biggest hint to the Hyper Force being a future GT-R is its race modes, which include GT for Grand Touring, and R for Race.

In GT, the cabin panels actually move, shifting away from then driver to widen the cockpit, while the cabin is illuminated a calming blue. But engage race and the cockpits moveable panels close in around you, while the cabin lights turn red.

Downsides? Well Nissan is now on-record saying its solid state battery technology won’t launch until 2028, meaning a real-life Hyper Force is at least half a decade away.