The forthcoming Nissan 400Z won’t just bring with it a retro-inspired design but it is also shaping up to be available with an electrified powertrain.
The current thought is that the 400Z will come outfitted with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 producing 400 hp and out-performing the turbo’d mill of the Toyota Supra. However, while recently speaking with Nissan’s vice-president of global product strategy, Ivan Espinosa, Motoring asked if the 400Z would benefit from any kind of electrification.
“Well, I cannot give you details about the car now,” Espinosa responded. “What I can tell you is I still see space for two different things. Probably in the short term you can still see a bit more conventional technology coming. By conventional I mean maybe still ICE [internal combustion engine] driven, maybe with some electrification on the sports cars.”
Read Also: The 2021 Nissan 400Z Should Look Just Like This
Now, while this seems to suggest Nissan is pondering an electrified version of the 400Z, it doesn’t give us much information about what form such a model could take. For example, Espinosa could be referring to a simple mild-hybrid setup with a 48-volt electrical architecture and an electric starter motor.
In contrast, the electrification on the cards for the 400Z could see it transformed into a supercar-fighting monster with electric motors powering the front wheels and the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 driving the rear wheels. Or, it could be something in between these two possibilities.
Whatever the case may be, there’s a good chance the hybrid Nissan 400Z would top out the range and easily outperform the Toyota Supra.
Nissan has yet to say when the 400Z will premiere but it could land as a 2021 model meaning we could see it before the end of the year or early next year.
