Whatever they decide, I hope it's not this because it made me throw up in my mouth a little...

 

yeah that grill kills the car, i wonder if nissan redesigned their grill if i would re-inspire people again.

 

Yeah, that grille looks terrible and the headlights not much better. But of course the grille is the 'corporate look', one design fits all. Not!

Going back to the 370Z, what could be done with it to make it a new model. Hmmm. Get rid of the cheesy front and rear lights and go more for a conventional look there, redo the dash and interior, reduce weight and increase body stiffness, refine the suspension, offer a real track turbo version.............

 

The questions on the Z34 successor go much deeper than that, IMHO. Should the next Z be a smaller, lightweight sportscar with roots back to the S30? Or should it be more technologically advanced, with an hybrid energy harvesting system that provides electric boost on demand? Or would you go for a bigger car using another VR variant with big power? Can you make it affordable enough--likely between the $30-45K area that the Z has exploited in the past-to fill an attractive market segment?

Problem is, there's just not many buyers in the affordable sportscar segment any longer. Take a close look at MX-5, BRZ, and other sales and you'll find modest, if not disappointing numbers. Without a viable and compelling economic argument to build a new Z, the BRUTAL TRUTH is it'll remain a pipe dream.

 

Dios Mio! If this is the future of the Z, I hope I can keep my 05 350Z running. That thing looks abysmal.

 

I think to make the Z relevant and put sales on the board again it can't be a two seater, and it needs an all wheel drive option. Two seater rear wheel drive cars have such a small demographic, and let's face it the people that push this market (18-25 year olds) don't care as much about hard core sports cars nowadays. They want something reliable (This means no turbo), can drive it all year round, and for the love of god Nissan change the crap interior.

Standard: All wheel drive two door, 4 seater, NA V6 with a realistic ride height. (For the masses, and tuners.)
NISMO/Track Edition: Rear wheel or All Wheel, two door, 4 seater, weight reduction, NA small block V8 or turbo V6, down force kit, lower, tighter, etc... (For people that want one ready to go.)

If there's anything the big three have taught us, it's that there is a market for sports cars but there's got to be a realistic option. See Camaro, Mustang, Challenger. I don't know about all of you, but I can't go 5 minutes in my area without seeing a V6 version of these, and THAT is what makes the SS, GT, and SRT a possibility.

 

Interesting thoughts, but look at any "four seater" sportscar, and all I see are two rear seats good for children or amputees. As for AWD, it adds weight and detracts from the performance needed. I live in Colorado and if there's anyplace that the AWD Dodge Challenger should be selling, it's here. Nope, it's still a limited seller. As for the "people who push this market (18-25 year olds)", I don't think that's a valid supposition any longer. First, that age group doesn't have the money to buy new cars (or get loans easily). Hence, why most of them are on THIS SITE to get advice on their more affordable, used cars. Second, demographic studies have shown a lack of interest by younger buyer, so I'd say it's up to the 26-45 and even the 46-65 age groups to drive any demand for hot sportscars.

Look at who is buying pony cars or even the C7/C8 and you'll see I speak the BRUTAL TRUTH.

 

I should rephrase that. Two seater, rear wheel drive cars in the $30k range. C7/C8 are a different bracket and that age demographic will definitely be different. The V6 Camaros, Mustangs and Challengers at least in my area are pretty common with the under 25 age range and the back seats while not great work in a pinch. These mass purchases are what allow manufacturers to build hot sports cars on the same chassis, and sell them to a older age bracket. The BRUTAL TRUTH is that Nissan will need to change up their game to stay relevant. A 300 horsepower all wheel drive four seater NA v6 could do that, and may give it a leg up on some of the competition. You can't tell me you wouldn't be looking at a Z with 450HP NISMO package just because it had 4 seats. I know that wouldn't stop me...

 

Can't help my race car perspective, would prefer something like 45/55 F/R weight distribution which a engine set back would likely give.

 

Yes, I was thinking of what Nissan could do with the Z34 to make it a 'new' model without having to go to the expense of a new platform. The powertrain is still good by the latest standards isn't it? Suspension? All that's left is the dated interior to be redone and the lights to be changed which would involve changes to the appropriate panels and a slight restyle.

 

Interesting, on the Xterra forum there are identical threads. I have two Nissans sitting in the garage and I’m proud of them, but they are becoming dated. I suppose if I wait long enough they’ll be “classics”. It appears Nissan is just going where the money is, and rightfully so, as painful as that is to say. They don’t care if they have a modern, proper 4x4 and sport car in the lineup, what matters is staying afloat and making money these days.
With that said, Toyota has an incredibly impressive and long running line of 4Runner and Celica.

 

In regards to a new platform/engine it looks like Nissan have a new 2020 Skyline model launching in Japan

https://www.caradvice.com.au/775847/...evealed-japan/

In the past the Skyline has been sold stateside as the Infiniti G35/G37 sharing a lot in common with the Z platform, with all the rumors circulating in the past 2 years of a "baby GT-R" under development I guess this might be the result as it shares the twin-turbo V6 formula
Having a twin-turbo 400bhp engine would be great in a sports coupe, so far only sedan styling of the new Skyline has been shown, looking very similar to the GT-R in a few aspects (front grill, rear taillights most noticeably borrowing the aggressive appearance). Certainly food for thought though. Unfortunately the new car has that drive-by-wire Direct Adaptive Steering system

 

to me that looks nothing like a skyline should look, looks like every other sedan out there.

 

This is interesting though....
https://www1.infinitiusa.com/now/new...roject-black-s

 

Infiniti got away from the Skyline connection with the G37 coupe/sedan successor. It doesn't look like they are going to resurrect the connection again. The current Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 coupe already has the 400-hp VR30DTT engine on sale currently, but at a price of over $50K. The BRUTAL TRUTH is they are not jumping off the shelf, with only 2.032 Q50s (both coupes and sedans) sold thus far in 2019.

We can all hope the new Skyline would be a good base to build the new Z35, but there's still not enough of a market to justify the millions of dollars in R&D for it.

 

Interesting yes, but can you imagine what THAT kind of F1-derived technology would cost!?

 

The Renault F1 collab has been talked about for several years. To my knowledge, the closest thing I’ve seen related to it on the street is the Red Sport Q50 that dkmura mentioned and that doesn’t actually employ any of the tech that the F1 connection suggested. But, fingers crossed. 🤞

 

hat-tip

looks like something brought to market to battle the Lexus RCF ...

new drinking game:
every time you read "concept vehicle shown" take a drink

 

Looks nice but it's just a brakes upgrade and bodykit, the Q60 is already pretty expensive so I'd hate to think how much these black edition will go for

 

You know when youre at a fancy restaurant and to right of the lobster reads 'market price' ... expect that for this Q black edition - I'd venture to say somewhere north of $60k