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At nearly a decade old, the Z cars as they’re affectionately known by are starting to show their age.
As one of the premium sports cars when it made its debut in 2009, the Nissan 370z has seen a steady decline in interest as the twenty-teens have rolled by. That depressing fact has left Z car enthusiasts with the question – what’s the future of the beloved 370?
Nissan has spent the better part of the last decade trying to emerge as a premium brand in the United States, revamping nearly their entire line of automobiles to fit a changing market geared towards fuel efficient SUVs and commuter friendly family cars. Through that process, many have felt like the company’s sporty roots have been stumped.
A Tradition of Performance
Built upon the legendary Z platform of the 60’s and 70’s, the 370z has a strong lineage of performance coupes designed for speed, handling and cost.
The original Z-car, the Datsun 240z, introduced Japanese autovation to the US market in 1970, instantly converting a crowd of domestic enthusiasts into import motorheads overnight. From there, Nissan would spend the next 40 years innovating and improving its design, culminating in the 370z we know today.
The evolution of the Z has seen rebirths every 10-15 years along the way. With the 280z in 1975, the 300zx in the mid 1980’s, the 350z in 2003 and a quick turn around to the 370z in 2010. If that timeline holds true, the 370 could be due for a successor in the early 2020’s.
A Fledgling Market
While the iconic 370 enjoyed instant success upon its introduction to the arena, those sales have slowly tapered over the last decade, owing its fall mostly to a changing demographic.
Nissan’s target market for their zippy coupes has historically been a younger audience, without kids, looking for a sports car to impress the crowds with. They also enjoyed success with the middle-aged crowd, but the 370 was typically a secondary purchase to go along with the family cars.
With a changing world however, the tried and true market that Nissan came to know is slowly disappearing. Young college graduates are now searching for more eco-friendly, commuter oriented cars, not the sporty roadsters of their predecessors.
Couple that with the ever increasing cost of living, and the middle aged market begins to dissipate since they can no longer afford both an expensive SUV and a weekend sports car.
If Nissan intends to keep the Z car alive, they’ll need to innovate and create a brand of car that can appeal to this changing crowd.
The Fuzzy Future
Although some details exist, Nissan seems to be staying fairly tight lipped on the future of the 370 and the Z cars as a whole. While insiders have said that Nissan intends to keep the model alive, they also share that it’s not a priority for the company at the moment.
In the interest of keeping up with the times, Nissan has announced plans for electrifying nearly 40% of the vehicles they sell in Europe, and that would presumably include their sports car line. Although they’ve announced no concrete plans for the US market, its safe to assume they would market these electric vehicles in the world’s largest consumer of automobiles.
Other unconfirmed rumors include partnering with Mercedes Benz to build off of one of the German platforms, as well as incorporating proven Mercedes engines alongside the timeless Nismo options.
However, at the current time, Nissan does not seem to be road testing or prototyping any public appearances of a Z Car reboot. But Nissan has been known for well kept secrets, so only time will tell if the ZCON attendees will be showing off new rides in the coming years.
One thing is for certain, Nissan has proven itself as an industry leader in the sports car market and to see a legend such as the 370z disappear into the either would be a shame for car enthusiast alike.
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This content is sponsored by Ben Obirek.
Photo: iStockPhoto