2021 Nissan Z: What We Think We Know About The Upcoming Toyota Supra Nemesis

Nissan is working on a new Z sports car to finally replace the 370Z after 11 years of service (it was introduced all the way back in 2009), so we gathered everything we know or heard so far on the upcoming Toyota Supra rival in one place.

Before we delve into the various reports and rumors on the next Z car, we must mention Nissan’s current financial struggles that were made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. The company is expected to announce a global turnaround plan on May 28, a plan that will reportedly include ditching sports cars from their European model range, spelling the end of the 370Z and GT-R in the Old Continent.

Nissan is expected to focus instead on regions like North America and Asia, markets that are much more important to the Japanese carmaker’s global business model. If the reports turn out to be true, then the new Nissan Z might not come to Europe.

Also Read: 2022 Nissan Fairlady 480Z Study Brings The Past Into The Future

So far, the most trustworthy reports talk about Nissan designers wanting to pay homage to the original 240Z with the styling of the new Z, which should mean we should at least expect a visually different car than the 370Z. The classic proportions will remain, featuring a long nose followed by a rearward-positioned cabin and a very short rear deck.

Le Yang Bai’s “Fairlady 480Z” independent design study pays homage to the original Datsun 240Z too

Cheaper than a Supra but by how much?

Recently there have been many speculations on the new Nissan Z’s price tag. Car And Driver estimates a base price in the mid-$40,000s for the new Nissan Z to undercut the model’s main rival, the Toyota Supra (in V6 form, at least, as we don’t know yet how much the new 2.0L turbo model will cost in the States). However, that would be a big jump over the current model that starts from just a touch over $30,000. It also depends on the powertrain options – and especially, if Nissan’s plans include a base four-cylinder offering (not that we’ve heard of) or exclusively V6s.

Nissan is going to use a heavily updated version of the FR platform for the new Z car. Older reports suggested that the new sports car will share its oily bits with the next-gen Infiniti Q60 but, given the timing, nobody will be surprised if cost-cutting Nissan suddenly changes its future strategy.

Back to the engine options, picking the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 unit from Infiniti sounds just about right for Nissan, which has already used that powertrain rated at 400 HP in a 370Z show car at the 2018 SEMA Show. A 370Z mule was also spotted late last year lapping the Nurburgring, featuring extra holes on its front bumper most likely to let fresh air into the intercooler.

Frankly, if we were Nissan, we’d also seriously consider offering the current or evolved version of the naturally-aspirated V6 as an entry-level engine at a lower cost than the more powerful and complex V6 turbo as a rival to the four-cylinder Supra. But that’s just us thinking out loud as we’re the kind of people who would prefer an N.A. V6 over a turbo four any time of the day, so feel free to disagree.

400Z? We’ll believe it when we see it

Finally there’s the reported 400Z name. Z cars were always named in accordance with their engine size, and given the new model’s homage to the original, we don’t expect that to change. The name 400Z implies a 4.0-liter version of the twin-turbo V6 in Z-land and that doesn’t seem plausible at this point, unless Nissan is willing to use that name with the 3.0-liter engine. Then again, there’s always the option of simply calling it the 300Z, although by now we’ve gotten used to automakers adopting naming strategies that don’t correspond to the engine’s size, so maybe the Japanese brand will follow that trend.

Nissan was originally expected to reveal the new Z car sometime towards the end of the year. However, with the current situation, as with most new cars, the unveiling will likely be delayed, pushing it to next year.

Note: The illustrations are the work of independent designers and are in no way endorsed by or related to the automaker