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The new Hyundai mid engine car is now supposedly powered by the same 275 hp engine in the Veloster N with more power from a hybrid motor which is supposed to put the total around 400 hp. I think this car is supposed to be AWD. Two thoughts I had about this- 1. All Veloster N's are manual so there should be a good chance this car is also available with a manual (fingers crossed). 2. The new Genesis cars have good styling so this new mid engine car could actually look decent.
Sounds like the new CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing are going to be delayed another 6 months due to the coronavirus. Bummer. I hoped they would be released at the NY auto show, but thought they would probably drop in Detroit since they are GM products. Time will tell, but I am keeping an eye on the CT4-V Blackwing. If it is even better than the ATS-V, that is going to be one hell of a car. Both blackwing versions of the CT4-V and CT5-V are supposed to be available with manual transmissions. Perfect. I just put in my application today for new plates: SV D MNLS (save the manuals)
Car & Driver's new issue has 25 cars worth waiting for. On this page they have a rendering of the new Z, but they also show a TSX Type S concept rumored to have over 400 hp. This car looks the business, but I am surprised that it is a 2 dr. I wonder if it will actually be a 2 dr. The regular TSX is supposed to debut online soon.
At the top of this page you will see a timeline for upcoming cars. Surprisingly, they think the new Nissan Z will debut later this year or next year and the new Subaru WRX won't debut until late 2022!?! Not even a mention of a new STI. I thought the new STI would debut long before the Z or at least the VW Microbus. Strange.
Car & Driver's new issue has 25 cars worth waiting for. On this page they have a rendering of the new Z
At the top of this page you will see a timeline for upcoming cars. Surprisingly, they think the new Nissan Z will debut later this year or next year
I really hope Nissan does this, but how can they?
They are BLEEDING money and why would they spend money to develop a sports car that won't sell very well or make them very much money.
From 2009 to 2019 Nissan sold 76,081 370z. That is an average of 7,608 per year.
From 2015 - 2019 they sold 23,770 or an average of 2,377 per year.
For comparison, from 2015-2019 Nissan sold 1,783,116 Rogues, with a 5 year average of 356,623 per year.
I hate to say it, but I think the Z is dead... So sad!
I really hope Nissan does this, but how can they?
They are BLEEDING money and why would they spend money to develop a sports car that won't sell very well or make them very much money.
From 2009 to 2019 Nissan sold 76,081 370z. That is an average of 7,608 per year.
From 2015 - 2019 they sold 23,770 or an average of 2,377 per year.
For comparison, from 2015-2019 Nissan sold 1,783,116 Rogues, with a 5 year average of 356,623 per year.
I hate to say it, but I think the Z is dead... So sad!
I'm not so sure about the lack of a new Z. The article mentions, surprisingly, that Nissan plans to use the same FM platform that they have used in the past, maybe even since the 350Z in 2003. Which brings me to my next point. In 2003 they brought back the Z car after being off the market since 1996 and this was a time when they were near bankruptcy. They needed a halo car again and newer and better products, did just that, and saw a huge turnaround and big gains.
New and really good product seems to be the strategy and I think it is a good one. The new Altima, Sentra, and even Versa are really good and have sporty styling again for the first time since really the late 90's/early 2000's. Nissan also mentioned cutting sales goals by about a million. This sucks because a few plants will close and thousands of people will lose jobs, but I think it is a better strategy than huge discounts and tons of rental units to create fake high sales numbers and devalue the brand- ie. Carlos Ghosn.
I also think they may be pretty far along in development with the Z if they are already testing the car with a 370Z body over it at the Nurburgring. If they are using the same platform and the engine from the Infiniti that will save them lots of money in development costs. They still have to design the interior and exterior which cannot be cheap, but let's hope the performance is improved as well. Who knows, if things are any worse at Nissan than they already seem (and they do not look good at this point) Nissan could scrap the car, but I certainly hope not. I think the GT-R is in a worse position. I have not seen any prototypes of that car and very little talk about a replacement.
I'm not so sure about the lack of a new Z. The article mentions, surprisingly, that Nissan plans to use the same FM platform that they have used in the past, maybe even since the 350Z in 2003. Which brings me to my next point. In 2003 they brought back the Z car after being off the market since 1996 and this was a time when they were near bankruptcy. They needed a halo car again and newer and better products, did just that, and saw a huge turnaround and big gains.
In the late 90s and early 2000s the Nissan Maxima and 350z were the halo cars and both these were developed under Ghosn as part of his turn around plan.
BUT that was a time when SUVs didn't account for 70-75% of vehicle sales... and sports car sales is much less than that.
Originally Posted by 4DRZ
I also think they may be pretty far along in development with the Z if they are already testing the car with a 370Z body over it at the Nurburgring. If they are using the same platform and the engine from the Infiniti that will save them lots of money in development costs. They still have to design the interior and exterior which cannot be cheap, but let's hope the performance is improved as well. Who knows, if things are any worse at Nissan than they already seem (and they do not look good at this point) Nissan could scrap the car, but I certainly hope not. I think the GT-R is in a worse position. I have not seen any prototypes of that car and very little talk about a replacement.
From 2015-2019, 3,250 GT-Rs have been sold in the US, with an average of about 650 per year. I suspect it is not going to make it in the "new" Nissan.
I really hope you are right about the Z, but I don't think it will be profitable enough to justify.
In the late 90s and early 2000s the Nissan Maxima and 350z were the halo cars and both these were developed under Ghosn as part of his turn around plan.
BUT that was a time when SUVs didn't account for 70-75% of vehicle sales... and sports car sales is much less than that.
From 2015-2019, 3,250 GT-Rs have been sold in the US, with an average of about 650 per year. I suspect it is not going to make it in the "new" Nissan.
I really hope you are right about the Z, but I don't think it will be profitable enough to justify.
I hope so too for the sake of the Z. I am not holding my breath on the GT-R though. That is a good point about suvs. For a while there were rumors and renderings showing that the next generation Z was going to be an SUV version. Thankfully, those rumors have seemed to stop.
I hope so too for the sake of the Z. I am not holding my breath on the GT-R though. That is a good point about suvs. For a while there were rumors and renderings showing that the next generation Z was going to be an SUV version. Thankfully, those rumors have seemed to stop.
I suspect we will both drive our G37 Sport Sedans until we can't drive or the car is completely worn out.
That's my plan anyways
I suspect we will both drive our G37 Sport Sedans until we can't drive or the car is completely worn out.
That's my plan anyways
5-6 years is usually about as long as I keep a car, but I am not bored of this one yet. There are also so many other cars coming out in the next couple of years that I think could be a good replacement. I would hate to get one and then 6 months later find a newer car that is even better. It is a weird position to be in for me. That 4-5 cars before this did not last very long because I always knew what I wanted next. It is kind of a fun time knowing that my car is just about done being improved so I can sit back and enjoy it while I watch what every other company brings out new.
I've been tracking that Acura release for a minute...Really looking forward to what the final product is going to look like. Last I heard, the concept is going to be very close to what they put into production; which is great. I really like the looks of the car. Unfortunately, I've only ever read of it being paired with a AT; which will be heart breaking.
It is unfortunate that it will be A/T, but not unexpected. It does look good from just about every angle so hopefully, they don't change it too much. From this angle I see that it is actually a 4 door. If it were really good I might consider it being an A/T, but probably only for a minute. Then again, I do have a GT-R, RS-3, and G70 on my list and none of those offer a manual transmission. However, I still think I would only consider these cars if the manual transmission alternatives were not as good.
I'm excited for the Acura. I had a TSX and i really enjoyed it (and my s2k), even though it was FWD it was pretty fun with a few basic mods, and I also really liked the look of it. And with a Honda / Acura you get that nice reliability. I hope they don't ruin it.
Ghosn killed the brand and nearly drove it to the ground. Yes Nissan did well financially but that's because he found ways to cut costs and push the cars out to rental fleets. Honda and Toyota don't have exciting lineups but they build quality cars that keep people loyal to the brand.
The Z still has a place in the lineup but needs to be heavily updated to attract buyers. It won't ever sell in huge numbers but it will hopefully attract buyers to the brand (as long Nissan can move away from the rental car stigma).
