Nissan committed to replacing 370Z and GT-R

[AVANTI R5]

Nissan committed to replacing 370Z and GT-R
“There are no golden rules and we are particularly open,” he said. “There are some elements you can’t play with as these are brand icons. There is a limit to what you can share and commonise, with expectations not to go beyond what customers expect from a brand.

“There are challenges and difficulties that will force us outside to look at different options but there are important to us.”

When asked about the potential for the Nissan 370Z’s successor to go electric, Espinosa said that it was something Nissan was “discussing all the time”. However, he questioned whether traditional sports car buyers were ready to go electric, and said that the weight the battery would bring to a sports car would be a challenge that had to be overcome.

These were things that Espinosa said Nissan was “working on” but had yet to make a decision on.

Speaking separately at the show, Nissan’s Senior Vice-President for Design, Alfonso Albaisa, said that the firm would never abandon its Z car heritage.

“It’s easy to imagine [a successor to the 370Z]. The Z is the car that democratised sports cars back in the sixties. Before that you had to have the money to buy a Porsche or Jaguar. The current car has been a long time in the dealerships, and so you can imagine the designers working on a successor, even if I am not going to confirm it."

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[Apharmd]

Nissan committed to replacing 370Z and GT-R

I have a hard time believing this.

[godfather2112]

Originally Posted by Apharmd

I have a hard time believing this.

Why? It will just be replaced with yet another lack luster vehicle. They never said it would be good.

I’m betting on some hybrid GTR, redesigned 370Z with 10 more horsepower and even worse blind spots.

[WideBody]

Originally Posted by godfather2112

Why? It will just be replaced with yet another lack luster vehicle. They never said it would be good.

I’m betting on some hybrid GTR, redesigned 370Z with 10 more horsepower and even worse blind spots.

It was an excellent car in 2008-2009 when it came out, blowing the doors off the Mustang GT at the time and competing with the Cayman all for around $30k. The car is mediocre/horrible today - but that's because it's so OLD.

It's a joke that they're still selling the same car as they did over a decade ago now, but even if they kept the powertrain mostly the same and just did a complete revision of the platform/styling it would be a huge improvement. A 3200lb car with 330hp is NOT bad whatsoever. It's just the packaging sucks.

[BeepBoop]

I wish they'd commit a little harder and faster.

[AVANTI R5]

Starting to sound like my old lady...

And I’m not committing

[Brahmzy]

There is no way, now, they'd release N/A. Which means an affordable factory turbo'd, RWD Nissan go-kart. Could be really interesting if they pull their heads out of their asses.

[4S-TURBO]

Still waiting for retro designed 200SX and 200NX in the sub 3k lb category. Keep the fat V6 cars for the smallest and ever shrinking pool of buyers.

[Jethro]

They should do a new 300Z, use the VR30DDTT motor from the Q50 Red Sport with a manual transmission and make it lighter than current model.

Next GT-R will have to do some sort of hybrid to compete with other supercars.

Will believe it when I see it.

[White out]

.....

[qtr_wrx]

Originally Posted by Jethro

They should do a new 300Z, use the VR30DDTT motor from the Q50 Red Sport with a manual transmission and make it lighter than current model.

Next GT-R will have to do some sort of hybrid to compete with other supercars.

Will believe it when I see it.

Or make a 480Z (TB48DE(T) its an inline-6 which still in production till now and still comes with manual as standard, just make the engine lighter, turbo it) and it will be ready to head-to-head against the mk5 supra inline-6

[hi5.0]

Since those two cars are priced out of reach for most sporting drivers on a budget (the current Z in particular is a terrible price/performance proposition), Nissan should just develop a RWD successor akin to the S-chassis to compete against the Toyobaru twins and MX-5. A scalable platform to underpin S,Z and GT-R and Infiniti variants could work. Would make the brand more relevant to a wider audience.

[AVANTI R5]

Nissan is keen to replace the current 370Z with a new Z-car performance model

Nissan remains committed to a successor to the existing Nissan 370Z, according to the company's design boss, and now prototypes of the new sportscar have been spotted at the Nurburgring.

The current iteration of the iconic Z-car was introduced more than a decade ago - and there has been speculation that it could simply be allowed to die off in the face of ever-tightening regulations on CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency.

Early prototypes don't give anything away in terms of how the 370Z successor will look, with only extra venting holes in the front bumper pointing to addtional cooling and a fix rear spoiler for more downforce. The next Nissan Z-car will likely go up against the Toyota Supra, Alpine A110 and Porsche Cayman in the sportscar segment.

Speaking at the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan's Senior Vice-President for Design, Alfonso Albaisa, said that the company would "never leave this alone". When asked if he could envisage a successor to the 370Z, Albaisa replied, "It's easy to imagine. The Z is the car that democratised sports cars back in the sixties. The current car has been a long time in the dealerships, and so you could imagine Giovanni (Arroba, Nissan's design boss for electric vehicles) and the designers working on it.

We could never leave this alone. It's in our soul. You can feel this in other Nissan designs, like the new Ariya; it's not just about fuel efficiency, it wants to be driven, for the love of driving."

Albaisa also confirmed that the Ariya itself is likely to reach production soon. "When we design a concept and give it a name - a name that doesn't start with ***8216;I' or ***8216;M' - then it's getting close. It's like when you visit the doctor and they're able to tell you whether you're going to have a boy or a girl; it's time to give it a name.

"I can't give you a date because it's a global car and things could change - but obviously we're ready. I'm already tired of carrying this thing around."

[godfather2112]

^^^ Please tell me that's not the prototype successor.

[Brahmzy]

No, lol. That's a 370. If/when they stick a turbo in the new Z, it could be a serious option for me. Please Nissan, do this right. Don't F around and half-arse it. If they're using the Supra as their bench, that means a turbo, no doubt. They better keep 6MT as an option.

[lil'redwagon]

The motor in the Infiniti Red Sport is a badass motor that doesn't encroach on the GTR motor. It seems like a natural home for it in the Z. The next challenge is to offer it with a MT. The only transmission option for the Infiniti is the in house 7 speed auto that isn't very good or strong. But with a tune, you can up the line pressures and get it to shift faster, but there is still a lag from the paddle to the actual shift. And it's still weak.

[godfather2112]

Originally Posted by lil'redwagon

The motor in the Infiniti Red Sport is a badass motor that doesn't encroach on the GTR motor. It seems like a natural home for it in the Z. The next challenge is to offer it with a MT. The only transmission option for the Infiniti is the in house 7 speed auto that isn't very good or strong. But with a tune, you can up the line pressures and get it to shift faster, but there is still a lag from the paddle to the actual shift. And it's still weak.

Find a way to mate the 370Z trans to it and / or use the ZF 8HP for the flappy paddle option. Price the car at $40-$45k and have it perform close or equal to the Supra and you have a winner.

[ptclaus98]

Originally Posted by qtr_wrx

Or make a 480Z (TB48DE(T) its an inline-6 which still in production till now and still comes with manual as standard, just make the engine lighter, turbo it) and it will be ready to head-to-head against the mk5 supra inline-6

That's a god awful idea

[heavyD]

Knowing Nissan the next Z will have a CVT transmission.

[Brahmzy]

Originally Posted by heavyD

Knowing Nissan the next Z will have a CVT transmission.

Sad but true.

[Blitzkrieg]

Originally Posted by heavyD

Knowing Nissan the next Z will have a CVT transmission.

or return it to the size of the original 240Z using the awd platform off the test bed leaf... Hmm that c8upd be kind of fun.

[oichan]

Nissan.. meh.

[godfather2112]

Originally Posted by Blitzkrieg

or return it to the size of the original 240Z using the awd platform off the test bed leaf... Hmm that c8upd be kind of fun.

I don’t think I Miata is even the size of the 240z. I had one, they are incredibly small.

[Blitzkrieg]

90.9 Maita VS 90.7. That's probably little tight lol. I'm sure they could fudge it a little and squeeze a couple AA batteries in there somewhere.

[4S-TURBO]

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a3...z-future-2021/

2021 Nissan Z: What We Know So Far

A redesign is finally coming for Nissan's iconic sports car, and it sounds promising.

-The next-generation Nissan Z sports car is finally on the horizon, and here's what we know about it.

-It will be the long-awaited replacement for the ancient 370Z, which has been on sale since 2009 with few updates.

-We expect the new Z to debut sometime this year as a 2021 model.

The wait for a new Nissan Z sports car is almost over. As we approach the arrival of a replacement for the long-in-the-tooth 370Z-finally!-the rumor mill is running at full capacity, giving us some exciting tidbits about the new two-seater's powertrains, platform, and design. Here is what we expect from the new Z.

Twin-Turbo V-6 Power

The most powerful engine currently in Nissan and Infiniti's mainstream lineup (apart from the GT-R) is the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 that makes up to 400 horsepower in the Infiniti Q50 and Q60. This is the logical choice for the new Z, then, and sources within Nissan dealerships told Autoblog that this powerful mill will indeed be under the hood. A seven-speed automatic is the only transmission choice for this engine in the Infinitis, but we're hoping and praying that a stick shift will be offered as well; remember, Nissan did hint that this was possible by bolting up a six-speed manual to this engine for its modified 370Z concept for the SEMA tuner show this past year.

This engine's displacement calls into question what the new Z will be called. 300Z would be rational (or 300ZX, for nostalgia's sake), but we'd guess that Nissan will instead choose a number corresponding to the car's output rather than its displacement, like 400Z, to clarify its superiority over its predecessors.

Rear-Wheel Drive, as God Intended

A front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is the only real way to set up a proper sports car, and the Z will continue on with a newer version of Nissan's FM platform and share many components with the Infiniti Q60 coupe. That's from an earlier report from Autocar, which also said that the new car is code-named Z35.

All-wheel drive is within the realm of possibility, given that it's offered as an option on the Q60. But we don't think Nissan will go this route, as none of the Z's intended competitors-the Toyota Supra, Ford Mustang, and Chevy Camaro-offer the option of four driven wheels.

Retro Styling

Although the Nissan Z test mule we spied testing at the Nürburgring last year wore the old car's bodywork, we're pretty certain that the new model will have completely new styling. Autoblog's sources suggested that the original Datsun 240Z would serve as a styling inspiration for the new Z. We hope that means it will present simple, clean lines rather than the angular, tortured look seen on some Nissan concept and production cars lately. Roundish headlights and 300ZX-style taillights will reportedly serve as the key retro touches, as seen on our illustration above.

We doubt that the old-school theme will extend inside, however-and that's a good thing, because the 370Z's cabin is in need of a modern makeover. The cabin should retain its cozy, two-seat atmosphere, but we feel confident that it'll benefit from the latest Nissan infotainment system and a fresh dashboard design.

Hopefully Still Affordable

The current 370Z starts at just $31,015 and remains a decent performance bargain today despite its age. While there's no doubt in our mind that the new model will see a significant price uptick, we're guessing (and hoping) that the new Z will start somewhere in the $40,000 range, which would undercut the Toyota Supra by a few thousand dollars.

All signs point to the new Nissan Z's arrival being imminent. Our suspicion is that it will make its first appearance sometime later in 2020, going on sale in the U.S. as a 2021 model either at the end of this year or early next year. We can't wait to see it for real.