Nissan GT-R R35 says sayonara to Australia as the last batch that can be legally sold and registered here is delivered to customers.
The last batch of current-generation Nissan GT-Rs has arrived in Australia and undergone compliance certification so that they can be sold to customers. The model will continue on sale in some overseas markets beyond 2021, but this is the last year the model will be sold as an Australian-delivered vehicle by Nissan Australia as it will no longer comply with Australian Design Rules (ADR).
In a twist of fate, the new Nissan GT-R T-Spec is also the last ever Nissan vehicle to be fitted with one of the manufacturer’s compliance plates (now a sticker on the door sill frame) which shows it complies with ADR rules. The practice has been a requirement for the last three decades here but will be digitised from December 2021.
The problem Nissan’s GT-R faces with ADRs is the enforcement of the ‘Australian Design Rule 85/00 – Pole Side Impact Performance’ which the GT-R was able to skate around for the last ten years due to it being introduced before the rule was brought in. The honeymoon period is now over and the vehicle cannot be sold imported and complied past November 1 (this batch was delivered during October). It is expected the new generation Nissan GT-R will comply, however.
“It’s often said that it’s best to save your best until last, and that’s certainly the case here,” says Nissan Australia Managing Director Adam Paterson on the arrival of the last batch of GT-Rs, which consist T-Spec and Nismo grades.
“The GT-R is Nissan’s most celebrated vehicle, and while this isn’t goodbye forever, the T-Spec and NISMO SV models do act as the closing of this chapter of the GT-R story in Australia.
“The fact that the last version of this generation of Nissan’s performance icon will also be the last to wear a label that’s been part of the fabric of Australian automotive history for more than 30 years is entirely fitting.”