The Nissan Z is Coming Back, but It’s Smaller… A Lot Smaller
For fans of the Nissan Z platform, the last few iterations haven’t been that well received. The grievances primarily lie in that the car compromised too much.
It was soft and it didn’t hold true to the Z nameplate. Nissan has heard all the crying and moaning and for the 7th generation Z, the company is ready to turn it up to 11 on the car.
According to Motoring, the next gen Z will use a 3.0L power plant derived from a Mercedes platform. Power will still be sent to the rear wheels, and the chassis will be much stiffer, but it could also have a hybrid drive train.
What also will be included is a targa or T-top, an option that had many loyal Z enthusiasts wanting with the 350 and 370 Zs.
According to the insider, the Z, with this new generation will become a truly global platform. In recent years, the primary markets for Nissan have been Japan and the States.
But Nissan wants to bring this car to the rest of the world. This most likely will include scaling the Z’s size back from its current iteration. Nissan supposedly wants to make it a Boxster fighter, but if that is true, that might see a significant increase in price. For enthusiasts sake, I hope that’s not true.
The new Z will likely hit the showrooms around 2017, so keep an eye out for it debuting to the public this Auto Show season.