How to Keep with the Jones's

m4a1mustang · 02-17-2011, 08:04 AM

The Z doesn't compete with the cars you listed based on class (2 seat sports car vs. 2+2 sport coupes) but it does compete a bit with the Mustang 5.0, Camaro SS, and maybe the Challenger V8s on price. But I really don't think Nissan has their sights set on these cars. They were very clear in the beginning that they targeted the Cayman. I think they are more concerned with how well the Z stacks up against similarly classed 2-seaters over a wider price range.

I'm a little skeptical that Nissan would give a future Z much more power than the 370 already has. I think it's more likely that the Z either goes away (poor sales) or gets reinvented as a smaller, more efficient sports car (think 4-cyl turbo), or even some sort of hybrid sports car. It really depends on where they want to take the brand.

Consider that Nissan originally planned to sell 30,000+ units a year when they rolled out the 370. They only average a third of that a year. From a purely financial standpoint, I'd be more concerned about whether or not the Z program gets dropped moreso than I would be about it getting a power increase for the next model.

02-17-2011, 08:04 AM	#11 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6963	The Z doesn't compete with the cars you listed based on class (2 seat sports car vs. 2+2 sport coupes) but it does compete a bit with the Mustang 5.0, Camaro SS, and maybe the Challenger V8s on price. But I really don't think Nissan has their sights set on these cars. They were very clear in the beginning that they targeted the Cayman. I think they are more concerned with how well the Z stacks up against similarly classed 2-seaters over a wider price range. I'm a little skeptical that Nissan would give a future Z much more power than the 370 already has. I think it's more likely that the Z either goes away (poor sales) or gets reinvented as a smaller, more efficient sports car (think 4-cyl turbo), or even some sort of hybrid sports car. It really depends on where they want to take the brand. Consider that Nissan originally planned to sell 30,000+ units a year when they rolled out the 370. They only average a third of that a year. From a purely financial standpoint, I'd be more concerned about whether or not the Z program gets dropped moreso than I would be about it getting a power increase for the next model. __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!