Nissan has been a troubled automaker for quite some time now, before the whole Carlos Ghosn debacle and the health crisis that brought the company to its knees. In order to turn things around – if possible – the automotive juggernaut plans to cut as much as $2.8 billion in annual fixed costs.
That seems too little and too late given that Nissan’s profits have been tumbling for three years now. The rot goes so deep that the Japanese manufacturer’s alliance with Renault is dysfunctional at best in this day and age. In January 2021, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Nissan announces the lowest operating profit in 11 years.
The financial trouble is one thing, but it’s worth remembering that these problems stem from a serious case of mismanagement. Take the 370Z as a prime example of higher-ups not knowing how to keep people interested about an exciting product. An 11-year-old design that retails at $30,090 before destination charge has little in the way of competitiveness against more traditional options such as the Chevy Camaro with the 3.6-liter V6 at $28,090 or the small-block V8 at $34,995.
Codenamed Z35 and known as the Fairlady Z in Japan, the successor of the 370Z could bear the moniker 400Z outside of its domestic market according to the latest rumors in the mill. Expected to ride on an evolution of the FM platform, the newcomer could very well ditch natural aspiration in favor of the twin-turbo’d V6 from the Infiniti Q50 and Q60.
Said to be inspired by the Datsun 240Z, the next generation of the Z Car is still nowhere to be seen, even though everyone expects a debut in the second half of 2020 for the 2021 model year. Mexican pixel manipulator Adan Lopez imagined how the 400Z may look, and the renderings he came up are pretty interesting as well as polarizing when compared to older Z Cars.
The front fascia is undoubtedly inspired by the R35 GT-R, the side profile takes some cues from the 370Z and 350Z before it, and the rear end emphasizes width through the design of the taillights and the location of the dual exhaust system’s pipes. Over in the cabin, the flat-bottom steering wheel with the Z logo is complemented by a digital instrument cluster and a central dash-mounted infotainment system in addition to a digital readout for the climate control. What is pretty surprising, however, is the manual tranny.
One of the biggest questions regarding the 400Z concerns the stick shift. If Nissan borrows the twin-turbo V6 from Infiniti, does the treasured manual have a place in there? You only need to take a look at Toyota and the BMW Z4-based GR Supra to understand everyone’s concern about this outcome.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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