Nissan Z Proto previews the new Z car
Take a long, adoring look at the new Nissan Z Proto, the concept previewing the automaker's next-generation Z car. Bright yellow, and hoping to be an eventual bright spot in Nissan's revamped range, the Z Proto strikes a careful balance between just enough heritage to keep the long-time Z fans happy, but enough of the future to make it competitive in the segment.
The result is something both recognizably "Z" but also new, with a long, sculpted hood and teardrop-shaped LED headlamps clearly inspired by the classics. For that, Nissan's designers say, they looked to the original half-circle lights that graced the front of the original 240ZG, which was only offered in Japan.
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In profile, there's a distinctive squared-off rear – with Nissan repeating its visual flourish of making the rear edge slightly lower than the front fender height – along with 300ZX-inspired taillights. They're embedded in a rectangular black section, which spans the whole rear of the Z Proto and wraps around the edges. At the front, there's a similarly rectangular grille, similar in size to the current Z, but outfitted with retro fins.
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Unlike some concepts, the Z Proto doesn't go show-car wild. The wheels are 19-inch alloys, and there are dual exhausts at the back. Some carbon fiber features, too, with the side skirts, front lower lip, and rear valance getting the lightweight material.
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Inside, too, things seem eminently production-practical. Again, it's a combination of old and new, with a deep dish steering wheel outfitted with quick-access controls, and a 12.3-inch digital driver display for the virtual instrumentation. More yellow has made it into the cabin as well, including the seat and instrument panel stitching. The seats themselves use a special layered material.
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The biggest question we all had, of course, was powertrain. Nissan has been pushing electrification in recent years, with an all-electric crossover, the 2021 Ariya, set to join the Leaf EV next year. As a result, there's been no shortage of speculation that the new Z car could be a hybrid, or even offered as an all-electric model.
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For now, though, there's nothing so controversial. Instead, there's a V6 twin-turbo gas engine of unspecified capacity, power, and torque, paired in the Z Proto with a 6-speed manual transmission. Nissan says that there's an automatic option in development – and, for that matter, that the car we see here is just a "development study vehicle" and as such "does not confirm or reflect production model specifications" – but is tight-lipped on anything approaching a hybrid Z or a Z EV.
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Indeed, it's not exactly clear where the Z goes from this point, as it transitions from Z Proto to new Z in production. "As a prototype, work is now underway to synchronize the power with the grace and control that has defined the Z for the past 50 years," the company says, somewhat cryptically. We can see this design concept as "signaling the company's intent to launch a new generation" of Z and, according to Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida "yes, the new one is coming!"
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When it's coming, what engine it will pack, how much it might cost, and how many of the details in this Z Proto make it to the production line, for that we'll have to wait. Nissan has certainly focused on making the Z Proto realistic – its 172.5 inch length, 72.8 inch width, and 51.6 inch height makes it almost a perfect match for the Toyota Supra in size, the car it's likely to be most commonly compared to – but it looks like hopes for anything as market-ready as a new 2021 Nissan 400Z may have been a little premature.