Nissan’s new Z – but not for the UK
Nissan previews its mouthwatering new Z – a car Europeans won’t get to taste. By Jake Groves and Scott Newman
This is the Z Proto, a twin-turbo V6 coupe concept which previews the imminent eighth generation of Nissan’s famous sports car. One with a sting in the tail, and we’re not talking about the circa 400bhp it’ll send to the rear wheels. The dispiriting news is that Nissan has decided against selling the next Z in Europe.
Why? ‘A shrinking European sports-car market and specific regulations on emissions mean that Nissan was unable to build a viable business case for the introduction of the next-generation Z-car,’ according to a spokesperson.
This isn’t the first time Europe’s CO2 crackdown has scuppered a big name in performance: the business case for Ford’s fourth-generation Focus RS, a proposed all-wheeldrive, high-performance hybrid, was kiboshed by exactly the same combination of low sales and high emissions.
‘We considered some EV solutions,’ GT-R and Nismo product specialist Hiroshi Tamura tells us, ‘but for the business model and performance level, we selected this single direction. Today’s answer is a V6 twin-turbo manual, and an automatic is a must-have. After that, if the customer requests some EV or some sort of hybrid system, we have to do that.’
In 2010, the first full year of 370Z sales in the UK, Nissan sold just 817 units; thereafter it’s averaged 190 per year. The Z’s biggest market is the US, where a brawny six-cylinder poses no problem for laxer CO2 regulations.
But was there any way to make it fly in Europe? Packaging a hybrid into the 4382mm Proto would have busted the weight and price targets. Nissan insiders admit they looked at a pure EV, but concluded today’s battery tech couldn’t offer sucient reserves of either performance or range. It also would have necessitated a price tag far removed from the Z’s good-value roots.
Everything about this Z looks as if it was done on a tight budget: the prototype’s dimensions – height dips by 5mm,
track increases by 5mm, same-again 19-inch rims – betray an evolution of the 370Z’s FM platform.
Z Proto runs a twin-turbo V6: our sources say it’s the 400bhp 3.0-litre VR30DDTT engine from another car vanquished from Europe, the Infiniti Q60S, and one that shares some DNA with that of the R35 GT-R.
That much-used platform, a petrol V6 and the availability of manual transmission: sounds very old-school, right? ‘Some people say it’s old, but I think it’s old and new,’ says product manager Tamura. ‘Front engine, rear traction is a fundamental attitude of the sports-car scene.’
Nissan isn’t solely chasing a hefty power increase from its new Z car, even if every single one has been more powerful than the last. ‘Don’t misread me, I love giant power, but more important is how to balance it,’ adds Tamura. ‘Even just with 200 horsepower… if the chassis, brake system or body construction is weak, you’re very scared of using ⊲
Today’s battery tech couldn’t o er su cient reserves of either performance or range
this power. That’s why I believe the number itself is not so important; how to install it within the vehicle is an important approach for Nissan DNA.’
That old-school argument could be levelled at the looks, too, as Nissan has smashed together bits of its Z-car history and added 2020s flourishes. What results is a sports coupe with a clean silhouette, square-ish footprint and short overhangs. The front is unmistakably based on the original 240Z of 50 years ago, complete with a slightly gopping rectangular grille while, at the rear, elements of the 300ZX’s lighting arrangement are back in modernised form. Even the colour is a nod to the original Z, and there are badges that display a ‘Z’ in the car’s classic font.
‘We took inspiration from all generations during the initial design phase, with a strong homage to the first-generation Z but also with nods to the 300ZX,’ says design boss Alfonso Albaisa. ‘The first-generation Z was lighter and more agile. This Z Proto has a muscularity that builds on that.
‘Our designers made countless studies and sketches as we researched each generation and what made them a success,’ Albaisa adds. ‘Ultimately, we decided the Z Proto should travel between the decades, including the future.’
Nissan has smashed together bits of its Z-car history and added 2020s flourishes
Inside, the concept carries over the 370Z’s cabin architecture, even down to details such as the three dials atop the centre console. Modern elements include a large touchscreen with the Ariya’s new infotainment system, and a large digital binnacle showing turbo boost and other performance data.
Small sports cars are a dying breed, but that hasn’t deterred Renault from resurrecting Alpine, or Toyota the Supra (albeit with significant BMW assistance). And now Nissan, as it seeks to fight back from falling sales and rare losses, has underlined the importance of sporty alongside sensible. In the words of Makoto Uchida, Nissan CEO: ‘The Z, as a pure sports car, represents the spirit of Nissan and is a key model in our Nissan NEXT transformation plan.’
Just sadly not in Europe. ‘Here, Nissan’s priorities remain its commitment to renew its crossover line-up and accelerate its range electrification strategy,’ says a spokesperson. Sports cars will have to be wait – probably for the next GT-R, which sources hint will be electrified, and remains a concept with the tech smarts, all-wheel-drive capability and high price point that surely dovetails with electrification. Or – when Nissan is back on its feet – perhaps the Z after next, with pure electric power. If, that is, the business case stands up.