The Z Proto : Nissan's Offering in the JDM Revival Temple
The Automotive Field,especially the sports cars world has been seeing a wave of JDM culture revival lately. What started from the launch of the fresh Mazda MX5 in 2016,saw many more revolutions in the form of the Toyota Gt86 (also know as the Subaru BRZ or the Scion FRS),and is currently standing at the fifth generation of the legendary touring sports car,the Toyota Supra. The Z Proto is another landmark in this movement.
On 28th May,2020, Nissan took the world by storm when it showcased all of its upcoming models in a video titled - "Nissan Next : From A to Z". Nissan showed several updates to the existing lineups and also some new models like the Ariya EV,but what caught the attention of enthusiasts worldwide was the portion of the video,where they showcased a somewhat familiar body design,and a familiar logo,the Z.
The above video shared by Nissan on their Youtube channel showcases 12 different cars,and the Z is one of them.
Today we are going to talk about all we know till now about the Z Proto and why is it an important thing for Nissan.
THE Z LINEUP
THE Z LINEUP
Back in 1969, Nissan introduced the Z to the world in the form of the Fairlady Z. Featuring a relatively long nose and short rear,it made for itself a distinct character, one which appealed to the mass market of the 70's. As a result, the Fairlady,along with its U.S. counterpart,the Datsun 240 Z ,sold over 520000 units. Since then the feats for Z never stopped,with the Datsun 240z bringing home the 19th East African Safari Rally.
The major design change came in 1983 with the introduction of the famous rally monster,the 300ZX. Featuring rectangular popup headlights and distinctive rear,this model quickly became an ideal rally choice. With this model year,powerhouse was also changed from a Straight 6 to a V6.
The sixth and the currently produced version called the 370 Z, featured similar design to the 350 Z, except for the Boomerang shaped front and rear lights and bulged out rear fenders.
Enough with the History lessons,lets jump into the main discussion!
Design Inspiration for the Z Proto
The video showcasing the Z created quite a stir,because of the distinctive design of the car. Have a look:
As shown in the video, the Z Proto is supposed to have a silhouette quite similar to the original Z,something the fans are quite digging. Also visible here is the distinctive long nose and circular headlights. This alone gave a hint to the fans that the new Z is going to pay homage to the original one in its design.
The side design features a chrome strip running from the C pillar all the way down to the rear end.
Here's a zoom in on the side:
Quite visible is the newly registered Z logo under the chrome strip and also some bits and pieces of the rear taillights. Petrol heads argued over the rear end design,with some saying that it will be completely retro,with the original design,while to some,the design looked more similar to the one we got in the 300ZX. Many renderings for the Z Proto were made and some are featured below:
Courtesy: Motor1.com
A Japanese magazine featured the below photos in one of its editions:
As seen the above picture,the Z Proto can be seen standing besides its ancestors. It wasn't quite confirmed if this was just another rendering or the actual Z,until Alfonso Albaisa, the company's vice president of global design published the below sketch:
courtesy: AutoBlog.com
The above sketch ended the taillight debate and made it crystal clear that the Z Proto was getting 300ZX inspired taillight setup,and fans of the Z31 loves this design.
For reference,here is the rear end of a 300ZX:
Nissan's hints to the Z Proto:
Up till August end,no clear hint on the name or design on the new Z was given by Nissan,making fans quite anxious about the 400Z or the Z35.
But then on September 1,Nissan uploaded another video on all of their Youtube channels,something which fans weren't quite expecting. But it definitely brought a smile to our faces.
Titled as "The Nissan Z Proto is coming",the video showcased all the models in the Z lineup that lead up to the 'Z Proto'. For the first time ,fans got to know the name of the upcoming surprise,and it was something of a discussion in the community. Some believed that Nissan was just going to showcase a prototype and not a production car,while some took the name and traced it back to its meaning,which quite dramatically pointed towards the meanings First or Primitive. Hence the other half believes that the Z Proto is called such because of its design paying homage to the first car.
Nevertheless,the video had some interesting details like the last frame which looked like this:
Again showing the circular headlight design,this was quite an addition to the video.
Another interesting thing was the inclusion of the following in the description of the video:
"Nissan is reawakening the Power of Z with the new Nissan Z Proto. We've combined 50 years of passion and heritage with modern technology to design the new generation of the legendary Z sports car
The Z Proto will be unveiled on Sept. 16 at 9:30 a.m. JST/12:30 a.m. GMT (8:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 15) at the Nissan Pavillion"
Now that the unveiling date was disclosed,fans could not control their excitement,but little did they know that Nissan had more surprises in store for them.
On September 7, Nissan uploaded another video on their Youtube channel,titled "Get Ready For the Nissan Z Proto":
However the thing that caught the observer's eye in the video was the 0:16 mark of the video,where a person is reportedly seen sitting in the Z Proto,and resting his hand on the gear lever,which from its looks gave the people hint that the Z Proto was going to feature a manual transmission. This one small part of the video gave a huge relief to the Z fans,as many were worried that Nissan would go for the CVT Transmission for the new Z,which in layman terms is a ticking time-bomb. However,Nissan did not disappoint its fans this time.
Another notable thing in the video was the fact that the Z Proto would be unveiled digitally,which was kind of expected keeping in mind the Covid -19 pandemic going on.
Nissan's third video in the row of drool-worthy teasers came on September 10.Titled as- "Hear The Nissan Z Proto Roar" this video let us hear the sound of the Z Proto.
Similar to the previous teaser videos,this one also portrayed some noteworthy things. First of all,the 'roar' of the Z Proto gave us the hint that this car was going to have a V6 engine,something which all of us expected. However, aspiration (turbo/supercharging) is still not confirmed. This teaser also confirmed the previous teaser hint that the Z Proto was going to sport a manual transmission,when at the 0:04 timestamp in the video,the gearbox was fully disclosed. Following this reveal,fans are quite happy with Nissan's choice and are now more excited than ever.
Set the reminder for 16th September folks,its going to be exciting!
Predicted Pricing and Trims:
Going by the community discussions and predictions by some Automotive websites,the Z Proto could be a little pricier than the current 370 Z. One could expect a $40,000+ price tag for the base model,which could feature a 3.0 litre V6 from a Infiniti Q60,tuned to 400 horsepower.The premium and track versions could be priced at $48,000 and $50,000 respectively,while the top end NISMO version could be priced at $53-55,000. Also rumored is that the NISMO version of the Z could get the V6 from the Infiniti Q60 RedSport 400,which would give it a power figure of somewhere below 500 horsepower,but definitely above 400. Rear Wheel Drive would be standard across all platforms,with LSD expected in NISMO and Track versions. As confirmed from the teasers,t we could expect a six speed manual and a 7 speed automatic transmission.
Problems and Road Blocks ahead of Nissan
Despite the excitement and happiness in the community,one must not forget the strategic viewpoint on the Z and what importance it holds for the company that is on the brink of bankruptcy.
In 2019,a high voltage drama at the Nissan leadership took place,when the board of directors held the then CEO of Nissan,Carlos Ghosn reponsible for companies losses and accused him of using the company's money for his own personal luxuries. Ghosn fled to Lebanon. Ever since, Nissan has been facing a wave of different problems.Following Ghosn's fleeing to his native country, many senior executives left the company,and there was a huge turmoil in the company's C-Suit. CEO Makato Uchida in his recent statements reasoned the reported $6.2 billion losses as a result of "aggressive sales expansion policy". He also called for complete restructuring of the bottom line,which includes fewer products,lower sales and fewer workers.
Adding to this,the Covid 19 pandemic haulted the demand and supply chain completely,hurting the company's financial wounds furthermore.
Uchida stated that Nissan's policy for now would be to "maintain fiscal discipline and focus on net revenue per sale to achieve profitability".
All of this means that fans shouldn't expect the new Z until late 2021,and this deadline could be extended further.
Nevertheless,the hopes are high,and Nissan is definitely expecting an increase in its sales following its revised lineup,given they solve the existing problems in their cars.
Feeling lucky? Well Nissan is feeling the CVT (oops!)
So this was all we know yet about the Z Proto, note that the blog could be updated following any advancements. If you liked the blog,react below and comment whether you think Nissan is going to experience revival or not,and how do you think the new cars would help in getting Nissan back in the game. Also check out more posts by other authors and consider subscribing to our blog for more such posts.
This was Vedant here,Namaste!
All photos courtesy of their respective owners and all videos courtesy of Nissan.
The Z Proto,hmm,sounds like a nice name, can't wait for 16 Sept!!
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