The car production gremlins have struck again. Nissan has announced that launch of the 2023 Z sports car, which was supposed to go on sale in Japan in June, has been delayed until late summer.
The automaker blamed “ongoing semiconductor shortages and supply chain disruptions from the spread of Covid-19” for the delay. Nissan would say only that the home-market launch would move to “the summer”, but The Nikkei reported that launch would be delayed until some time between July and September, according to Automotive News.
How that delay affects deliveries of the Z in the U.S., its other critical market, remains to be seen. Nissan’s global HQ has made no statement on the North American situation, and we’re waiting for an update from Nissan in Tennessee.
Related: New Nissan Z Priced In Japan, 400HP Base V6 Costs Only $1,930 More Than 255HP GR Supra 2.0
We still don’t even have an official U.S. pricing structure or American timeline for the Z, but news from Japan earlier this week revealed that the base version of the Z, which shares its 400 hp (406 PS) twin-turbo V6 with every other model in the range, would only cost the equivalent of $1,930 more than a 255 hp (259 PS) four-cylinder Toyota Supra. And, at the other end of the scale, a fully-loaded Z would significantly undercut a 3.0-liter Supra. Nissan has hinted that U.S. Z-cars will be priced around $40-45,000.
The Japanese giant is having a tough time getting production back up to pre-pandemic levels. While announcing the Z delay it also revealed that car production in Japan had sunk by 44 percent in March compared with the same month last year. Nissan isn’t the only automaker suffering. Several others have warned that semiconductor-related supply issues won’t be fully fixed for at least a year, with Volkswagen suggesting 2024 as a target for full, uninterrupted production.
H/T to Automotive News
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