Aug 8, 2015, 5:01pm ET

Next Nissan GT-R to spawn Infiniti sedan version, will be global R&D effort

The supercar will be developed in the UK, US, and Japan.

The next-generation Nissan GT-R is reportedly going to be a global effort, and will spawn a four-door sedan badged as an Infiniti.

Australia's Motoring is citing an unnamed source within the company that says development of the next GT-R has shifted to Europe and North America. Meanwhile, Japan will continue its with R&D as part of its SuperGT race program.

Notably, UK-based Williams Advanced Engineering, a subsidiary of the Formula One constructor Williams Grand Prix Engineering, will be taking the "lion's share" of the work. Derived from its experience with F1, WAE's current business includes fields as diverse as aerospace, military defense and renewable energies.

The source also said that Nissan believes there is a lasting trend towards high-performance luxury sedans such as the Aston Martin Rapide, Porsche Panamera, Lamborghini Estoque. As such, Nissan will take the GT-R drivetrain "down that path" and develop a sedan, likely to be sold as an Infiniti, positioned to go head-to-head with products from Mercedes-Benz's AMG, BMW's M and Audi's RS lines.

Since plans for the much-hyped Eau Rouge, a Q50 powered by the GT-R 560hp twin-turbo V6, are dead, hopes are pinned on new platform engineered with a four-door in mind right from the start.