New Nissan Z car to get automatic option, hybrid a possibility

Wednesday, 16 September 2020

Sports car fans have finally arrived at the day when Nissan announces a new Z car. The outgoing 370Z has lasted twelve years but Nissan is putting the old warhorse out to pasture with a new model. Simply called Z Proto for now, the new two-door coupe promises performance and a lot of driving pleasure.

However, Nissan has been quiet on the really juicy details. We know the Z Proto has a twin-turbocharged V6 mated to a six-speed manual but how much power are we talking? Was hybrid power ever a possibility? How about the platform, is it all-new or is this closer to a heavily facelifted 370Z than a new model?

Stuff sat in on an Australasian roundtable with Nissan GT-R and Nismo product specialist Tamura-San, who elaborated on some questions being asked. He wouldn’t discuss hard figures but said the car was designed more to be a fully fledged driving experience, rather than simply boasting high numbers.

There’s something very satisfying about those bonnet creases. Now, if only we knew what was hiding beneath...

This is why, he said, the car has a manual transmission from the get-go, as well as the fact that a third of all 370Z sales are manual. Tamura-san did go on to add an automatic version is on its way, though.

A third of 370Z sales were manual, which helped sell the idea of a three-pedal set-up in the Z Proto. An automatic version is on the way, however.

As for electrification, this was considered early in development. Apparently, the Zed team decided to give the new car a conventional engine, with hybrid options a possibility later down the line if enough customers ask for it.

“If customers strongly request an EV or hybrid solution, we will do that. But, is that the answer?”

Whatever the case is regarding powertrain, we can’t wait to drive this thing.

“Every solution must be considered for customers. It depends on the customer's voice… We are thinking about many ways, many directions.”

At the moment, that engine is a twin-turbo V6, thought to be the same 3.0-litre unit from the Infiniti Q60, making 298kW/475Nm.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given Nissan’s rather rocky relationship with its accountants and banks, the Z Proto rides on a heavily reworked 370Z platform.

ButTamura-san rejected calls that the Proto is a facelifted 370Z, saying that this is definitely a new car.

And as for a hi-po Nismo version? “Why not?” Tamura-san replied with a cheeky smile.