“Z is not a car. It’s a culture,” COO Ashwani Gupta told Automotive News ahead of last week’s reveal of the next-generation sports coupe at an event in Brooklyn, N.Y. “We have enough cars in our lineup to do business. Z is a culture which connects Nissan’s past, present and future.”
But deciding on the right formula wasn’t easy.
As recently as 2018, Nissan executives were still pondering how to keep the Z car fresh and innovative in an industry under siege by change.
Top-end sports car makers, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Lotus and Porsche, have been stepping up plans to electrify their lineups. And even Nissan, a one-time EV leader, has pledged to have electrified offerings for all new or redesigned vehicles by the early 2030s.
Sporty EV concepts coming from Nissan, such as the ESFLOW from 2011, fueled speculation that an electrified Z might be in the cards. But if that happens at all, it appears to be kicked into the next decade.
Sticking with piston power for now helps Nissan get to market fast with a piece of eye candy that is pitched as a heritage car “built for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts.”
Sticking with gasoline also helps Nissan keep the Z true to its roots as an affordable fun car — without the extra cost of bolting on an electric motor and pricey battery.
The company hasn’t talked pricing yet, but the sticker is expected to start around $40,000. And enthusiastic dealers, eager for some new offerings, say there will be plenty of interest.
“Electrification is the future that everyone is talking about. But today, in 2021 and 2022, there is still a great thirst for internal combustion cars,” said Bill Wallace, CEO of Wallace Auto Group, which operates a Nissan store in Stuart, Fla. “It doesn’t concern me at all that it is not electric. It will bring more traffic into the store. We could sell every unit we get.”
