Nissan released a whole bunch of news last night about its plans for the future, which included a hybridized Rogue and a new Xterra. Buried in the long list of upcoming models and strategy charts was something that I think most enthusiasts my age will be pretty hyped about: A new Nissan Skyline.
While Nissan has never sold a car with a Skyline badge in America, anyone who grew up in the golden era of Gran Turismo and The Fast & The Furious will undoubtedly be familiar with the badge. For decades, the Skyline nameplate has graced the rear ends of Nissan’s Japan-only midsize coupes and sedans. High-end GT-R versions from the late 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s have become some of the most desirable JDM imports on the planet.
While most people are familiar with R32, R33, and R34 Skylines, Nissan never stopped making them. The car that replaced the R34, the V35, was sold in Japan as a Skyline, but marketed in the United States as the Infiniti G35. In 2006, that car gave way to the V36 Skyline, known here as the Infiniti G37. In 2014, the current V37 Nissan Skyline, known in America as the Q50, was unveiled.
Seeing as how that car is now 12 years old, the Skyline is well overdue for a replacement. So Nissan has published a short teaser video alongside a few images to get its Japanese buyer base excited. And as before, this new Skyline will likely come to America as an Infiniti-badged sedan. And it should have a manual transmission.
As far as official details are concerned, there isn’t very much to work with. Nissan published two close-up teaser photos of the car—one of the nose, and another of the rear quarter panel—along with a super-short eight-second video showing the shadow-covered Skyline next to what looks to be a third-generation Skyline from the late 1960s.
Aside from confirming the car is on the way, Nissan really didn’t say much about the Skyline in its big press release about the future of the company, adding just one line about the car towards the bottom:
Skyline: A Heartbeat model for Japan, delivering performance, precision and driver-focused character.
On a semi-related note, the company also included one paragraph about its plans for Infiniti (emphasis mine):
In the premium segment, INFINITI will remain important within Nissan’s product strategy. The brand will be revitalized through new and refreshed models, beginning with the all-new 2027 QX65 SUV this spring. This will be followed by four additional models: a new mid-size hybrid SUV, a performance-oriented V6 sedan and two frame-based hybrid SUVs.
While Nissan hasn’t confirmed it, it’s very likely that the new Skyline and this “performance-oriented V6 sedan” are the same car. As I mentioned earlier, Infiniti’s been selling rebadged Skylines for over two decades now, and while the last Q50 died in 2024, Infiniti has said it’s working on a replacement. So it’d make sense that, as before, Infiniti would bring the Skyline to America badged as a Q50.
The V6 part of this isn’t exactly a surprise, given that the last three Skylines and their Infiniti counterparts all used V6 engines. In a later version of the Q50 dubbed the Red Sport 400, you could even get a twin-turbo version, making—you guessed it—400 horsepower. What Nissan doesn’t mention in its release is the availability of a manual transmission.
The idea of a luxury brand like Infiniti introducing a manual car to the market in 2026 might sound unfathomable, but it’s definitely a reality. Automotive News first broke the story last summer, citing dealer sources, before Infiniti execs confirmed the news in December. Nissan Americas Chairman Christian Meunier told MotorTrend the manual should account for a small fraction of sales, adding that the clout from offering a stick shift will help boost the brand’s prestige in the segment:
Take rate for the manual will likely be only 10 percent or so, Meunier tells MotorTrend, but offering it is important to help restore Infiniti’s reputation as a bold luxury choice. Offering a stick helps burnish that rep. Meunier himself recently bought a Nissan Z because he wanted a manual transmission not only for its engagement but also because of the stick’s increasing rarity. There will be customers who will buy the revived Q50 specifically for the uniqueness a manual option brings, he believes.
This new manual Q50 sounds like it’ll slot cleanly between the Z and the full-kill, hybridized R36 GT-R, which, as The Drive reports, could arrive before the end of the decade. Something tells me that if Nissan doesn’t mess this up, it’s the Q50 that enthusiasts will gravitate towards most out of the three. A rear-drive sedan with 400-plus horsepower and a legit stick shift? Sign me up.
Top graphic image: Nissan
One of my only buddies in middle school who I could talk cars with, insisted that his older brother owned a “Skyline.” I didn’t believe him but he wouldn’t back down. This was well before even R32s were 25 years old.
Lo and behold, one day his brother picks him up from school. I couldn’t remember if it was a G35 or G37 but boy, was I disappointed. “It’s called a Skyline in Japan,” I remember him saying. Friendship over.
Just kidding. I think we just stopped hanging out after moving up to high school.
Nissan *dons flame suit*
I look forward to seeing one of these with slammed suspension and obnoxious V6 mooo exhaust in about 8 years from now.
I assume you’re somehow contractually obligated to remove your factory muffler on any VQ engined car over 10 years old?
This has the potential to be cool and fun to drive. Nissan seems to be making some good decisions lately
The other car in the top shot looks like a C10-generation Skyline coupe, probably the original 2000 GT-R. Little musclecars, those.
Hakosukas!
Someday I’ll own a car with fender mirrors… *gazes off into distance*
https://www.walmart.com/ip/MG-Car-Stainless-Steel-Fender-Mirror/881346815
Every car is a car with fender mirrors if you own a big enough drill bit.
My coworker has a Q50 AWD, it seems like the most pedestrian thing ever. (pardon the mixed metaphor) Maybe its just that she’s a normal woman, not one of these kids with the Edgar haircut and fartcan exhaust on the car so when I see her in it, it just appears like a daily appliance, not a sporting car lol
Is it a 4 door? I think the Q50 was always a 4-door and the Q60 was the coup?
In any case, I feel like going back the sedan versions of the G35/37 were always relatively mundane and the coupes looked a LOT mor sporty. Not just the profile, but wider too and much more aggressive looking
The styling looks like it will be a big leap forward, which is unfortunate for us because Infiniti will ruin it with their unbelievably ugly design language.
I’m not sure I follow, the G35 was a pretty direct LHD version of the Skylline V35
The G36 was also a LHD version of the V36 etc..
Tried to link a bunch of pictures but it didn’t work out right, here’s my source from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Skyline
I didn’t know that! Color me excited!
If they keep the above styling then great. But Infinitis have looked like ass for decades, and the current ones aren’t any better.
Yeah my point is the existing G and Q vehicles have been copies of the various Skyline generations, so I don’t see why they’d diverge from that now.
So not a 5000 pound electric Crossover with simulated sounds?
Don’t give them any ideas, or we’ll be getting the Skyline-Cross instead.
There is one! If you look at the Skyline Wikipedia page, they sold the “Skyline Crossover (DBA-J50, DBA-NJ50)” in Japan that was sold as the Infiniti QX50 in the US.
Worse yet, they somehow figured out how to add fake shift points to a manual transmission. The pedal and stick aren’t actually connected to anything. The AI decides…
This is cool and good
Lets just hope its not a trim level for a crossover SUV
Infiniti still needs to die. They would probably get more sales calling it is know a world over. If the hot boi can’t afford the skyline maybe they can sell him something else like an at a Nissian dealership like an Altima. What is the Infiniti dealer going to sell him, a used car, not beneficial to Nissian.
Not sarcasm. How many Infiniti customers are also manual transmission people?
Going for new (and in this case, underserved) market segments is actually smart.
But LOTS of G3Xs were sold in manual form.
The few that exist try to get others on board and it normally fails miserably they end up running back to Subaru or Mazda maybe Honda.
I don’t think they’re targeting the usual Infiniti customer with this, and it’s probably smart
More like, How many manual transmission people have been abandoned by their brands? Conquest sales are best sales.
Usually I find the “it’s has a MANUAL!!!!” pitch to be pretty cynical in 2026, particularly when brands like Porsche and Acura lock it behind a paywall. But to me this feels like a company getting back to their roots and filling a hole in the market/trying to branch out.
As a result I respect the hell out of it and will probably consider one down the line.
Dang, Nissan is actually making me root for them. I really hope they can actually stick the landing with their future products.
Ugh, I wish Nissan would just quit the Infiniti nonsense. Just bring it over as a Nissan. You may even sell a number of them as the Skyline. Bringing it over to dead-as-shit Infiniti dealers and calling it a Q-whatever is a great way to ensure nobody ever hears about it, much less buy it.
Well said.
I agree, but at least it will be the lone Infinity only vehicle in my recent knowledge.
As a way to help breathe life into Infiniti: they could bring it back as a “G” instead of “Q” as a way to attract more attention.
Forget Infinity. Go full Datsun.
They will always be Datsuns to me.
At least sell it as an option. I would much prefer my versa as a 210.
+1
Nissan Maxima Skyline 4DSC.
Mic Drop.
they’re going to have to market the CRAP out of it. None of this Chevy SS BS. Nissan def trying to reinvent itself with xterra, that wild NISMO Armada thing and Z getting some upgrades
They need to pull up their pants and just call it an Infiniti Skyline if they’re dead set on keeping Infinity around.
Especially in this world of negative attention feeding the algo. People will crawl out of the woodwork to complain that it’s “nOt A rEaL SkYlInE” which will just get it in front of people who don’t care.
Hopefully this will not die the death of. I will buy one when they are used and nobody buys the new ones and it gets dropped.
Is the perfect two-car garage now going to be a stick shift Q50 and a hybrid Xterra? Ngl I’m liking what I’m hearing and seeing.
Man, I am feeling good and hungry, it must be Skyline time.
We’ll know it’s a worthy successor when it gets banned from car shows.
Technically, if they’re making a rule of of the “VQ” vehicles: that rule also eliminates the Frontier, Xterra, and Pathfinder.
But not the GTR, or 3.0 engined Q50/60 or current NissanZ as they’re all “VR” vehicles.