Nissan used the New York Auto Show to introduce the 370Z Heritage Edition, but it appears the Z’s future could be in doubt.
Speaking to Autoguide, Nissan North America’s senior vice president of Sales, Marketing, and Operations said “The 370Z is not a priority for us.” Christian Meunier went on to say he hopes the company “can make a successor” to the aging sports car but declined to say it was a sure thing.
This contradicts previous statements from chief product specialist for Nismo, Hiroshi Tamura, who had said in 2015 that a successor to the Z was in development.
The sports car segment is particularly tricky especially for aging models such as the 370Z. Through March, Nissan has only managed to sell 1,248 370Zs in the United States which is a 7.1 percent decline from last year.
To put those numbers into perspective, Chevrolet has managed to sell more than 15,000 Camaro models while Ford has moved more than 22,000 Mustangs. Given the limited sales, a 370Z successor might not make financial sense.
Despite putting the Z’s future into doubt, Meunier was adamant that the GT-R will be a prominent figure in the company’s lineup. As he explained, “The GT-R is a halo car, so we need to continue to develop that vehicle.”
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