Not meant to stir it up
 

Not trying to stir anything up. But read that Ford will be bringing out a new
Shelby gt500 says it will be the first muscle car to top 200 mph in 2013.

as well as the rest of the mustang line will be tweaked.

i know you can't compare one to the other. but what is nissan REALLYING
planing for the next Z. in the next couple of years some of us will be looking
for our next sports car. and i really love the z but if things keep going this way will it just become a sexy looking 6 banger. jmho though.

I'm lovin' it....

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 and 2013 Mustang Lineup First Look - Motor Trend

Camaro.....your move! :eek:

double post, sorry

op- honestly, i dont really care. :icon17:

totally agree. With Ford pushing the mustang further with 420hp and their V6 stang actually being competitive Nissan should be taking note. Take into account also that the Genesis is now coming with 350hp and 295 torque for less money than the Z and again you have to wonder why Nissan keeps sitting idly by. While the Camaro isn't really pushing forward with the SS it's still a competitive car for the money. I mean Nissan keeps pushing the GTR forward while letting the Z get passed by. Honestly I think at best we will see a small increase in power for 2013 with a carry over to 2014. That will be the 370z's 6 year streak. Then we'll see the new Z after that. Honestly I'm not sure that in it's current state it can last another 2 years (3 if you count upcoming 2012) with everyone else moving forward. The VQ is already pushed near max so I think the best we can hope for as a mid model refresh is 350hp out of the standard 370z and maybe 365 from the Nismo. I think Nissan should stop fooling around and just add FI already or close the 370z down early and bring forth a new model that will actually be competitive. The way it sits now the 370z is arguably the better looking of the cars in it's class as well as the more expensive, while at the same time being at the bottom of performance.

Personally I like the idea of maybe keeping the Z where it's at while at the same time bringing out a baby GTR. Something along the lines of a G37 coupe AWD with detuned GTR motor AND MANUAL TRANSMISSION. Price it around 50k to fight the vette, GT500, and ZL1

All very good points. IMO all things considered seems like all the
other manufactures are making plans for the future with there cars.
I could see the z going away. There not selling that well
anyway. if your going to sell a 2 seater for north of 40 grand
you better bring something to the table

that's a badass mustang

The gtr is still quicker with less hp. The z is not and will never be about being the quickest car. Just take a look at the porsche cayman. There is a market for a car like the z and there always will be.

The sales numbers on the Z certainly have to call into question any next generation at all. Nissan accepted the Z project on the assumption of 30k unit sales in the first year. It's been three years now and the cumulative total of Zs sold has just hit that goal.

Given economic conditions a 2 seat sports car in the $30-45k range is a tough sell. Especially when you have stiff competition from other potentially more practical cars that go for roughly the same price. This has to be weighing on the minds of the bean counters at Nissan. They know we are in for a long and jobless economic recovery here in the US, so they know selling Zs as they are now would likely be a tough sell for at least the next 5 years.

I tend to think the Z will either be cancelled after the 370's final model year, or the next generation will be some sort of hybrid. Something to differentiate from the competition and help advance the brands green initiatives. We all know the world is heading the way of alternatively fueled vehicles, so this would be a good time for Nissan to get ahead of the curve with the Z and offer the first affordable hybrid sports car to the public. They did something similar in 1969 when they brought us the first truly affordable everyman's sports car.

But who knows what will happen. We are only 3 years into the 370. The 350Z went for 7 years if you include the 2009 roadster. The Z32 went for something like 11 years in Japan and 6 in the US. So the 370 could still have 3+ model years ahead of it. Nissan could be planning just to make as many as they can sell for now and if the world looks like it's changing for the better in a year or two maybe they will reevaluate and decide what they want to do for a next generation car.

All we know is that the future is very uncertain for the Z, especially considering it's in a difficult spot right now. Stiff competition and a crappy economy can really make life tough on a sports car.

Nissan doesnt understand the american market. We like more. For a low price. The 370z is a great car but with what it offers they need to lower the price substantially to stay competitive and on the minds of potential buyers. Or at present prices release a 400+hp Z. Instead of 332hp how about 432hp...thats what they need to do. And if they release a 500hp nismo version for around $40k...that would be competitive and people wont think too much about other options.

One less Z on the road.

Infinti has so far this year sold about 80,000 cars and suvs combined. The z has sold about 7,000. The z shares the same engine, platform and transmission with the g, g coupe, fx, and ex. The z shares nothing with the Nissan line, not the 3.7 engine, fm platform, or the 7 speed transmission. I don't see Nissan getting rid of the g or the infiniti line and I don't see the z disappearing either.

:iagree:

I agree about the next gen Z very likely being some sort of hybrid everyman sports car. I'm not opposed to that at all if they can keep the driving dynamics and power up to par, the extra mpg would be a nice bonus.

This gen Z will probably go until 2014, maybe 2015 (6-7 years seems normal for this cars lifecycle). If we're lucky, the last couple years will get DI assuming the G gets it. That could provide a small bump in hp and mpg. Other than that, I suspect very little if any improvements since the car doesn't sell well.

Then most likely a few years off, and then the intro of the first hybrid affordable sports car--ie the new Z35.

I can't see the Z taking a permanent vacation simply b/c of the hole left in Nissan's lineup, it's a big jump from maxima to GTR not only in price but in sporting persona. Then again, the GTR bows out in 2016 or so, right after the Z most likely will.

Perhaps Nissan is just going to start sucking like Honda and Toyata (at least until the FT 86 comes out, maybe they won't suck quite as bad) and just focus on boring people movers. That gives the Americans the lock on affordable fun sports/performance vehicles in every category, would be a shame if that comes to pass.

IMO, The Japanese manufacturers are sitting back now that they earned a rep for cheap reliable cars and have stopped taking the risks with fun cars like they did when they were getting established. Now it is Ford and GM making the cheap, fun, reliable cars as they try to get back the market share they lost while they made crap cars.