Yahoo Autos The 370Z Is 'Not a Priority' for Nissan
For the New York Auto Show, Nissan showed off the 370Z Heritage Edition, which celebrates the 240Z's 50th birthday two years early. The Heritage Edition is little more than an appearance package for the aging 370Z, and it doesn't sound like Nissan has any greater ambitions for the Z. In fact, Nissan apparently doesn't have definitive plans for a successor.
In an interview with AutoGuide, Christian Meunier, VP for sales and marketing at Nissan North American, revealed that the Z's future is seriously in doubt.
"The 370Z is not a priority for us," Meunier told AutoGuide. He added that he "[hopes] we can make a successor," but that certainly doesn't sound like Nissan is committed to building it. This runs contrary to previous reports from 2015 that said Nissan was seriously working on a new Z.
Nissan isn't giving up on performance cars entirely, though. "The GT-R is a halo car, so we need to continue to develop that vehicle," Meunier said.
On one hand, abandoning the Z makes sense for Nissan, since affordable rear-wheel drive sports coupes don't sell too well–just look at the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ and Hyundai Genesis Coupe for proof. On the other, the original Datsun 240Z and its successors helped establish Nissan as a serious player in the US market back in the 1970s. By neglecting the Z, Nissan is turning its back on an important chapter in its history.
Oh well, at least we'll have the GT-R for the foreseeable future.
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