Generation Z: Nissan’s sports icon reborn as a mid-priced driver’s car
This time, it’s known simply as Z.
The seventh-generation Nissan Z, Japan’s sports car icon, is updated for the first time in more than a decade. As the simplified nomenclature suggests — the Z stripped of its numerical prefix for the first time — the sports car is returning to its spare, athletic roots.
With sleek looks, twinturbo V-6 engine, optional stick shift and rear-wheeldrive, the 2023 Z promises a mid-priced driver’s car to go with the $100,000-plus GT-R supercar. The new car joins a refreshed lineup of Nissans — including the value-rich Rogue and Pathfinder SUVS — which have won raves for their own remakes in style and handling.
“Z is the pure expression of thrill. It is Nissan’s passion wrapped up on four wheels,” said CEO Ashwani Gupta ahead of the car’s debut on Nissan’s Youtube channel.
The Z draws on an enthusiast fan base that has endured for more than 50 years — and has been desperate for a new toy to play with this decade. The Z will go on sale next spring starting around $40,000 — more than 10 grand less than a comparable Toyota 6-cylinder Supra.
You’ll know Z by the retro, minimalist design — very much in keeping with the Z Proto prototype that
Nissan showed off earlier this year: long hood, racy roofline, big headlights. It reclasses the classic 1976 280Z.
“We found ourselves gravitating toward the sketches that touched the high points of certain decades while remaining true to our vision of the future,” said global design chief Alfonso Albaisa, “Ultimately, we created a Z that travels between the decades while being completely modern.”