Motor Authority reports that the chief product specialist for the GT-R and NISMO wouldn’t confirm the successor for the 370Z. Hiroshi Tamura did mention that both nameplates are “very important” to the brand, but don’t expect the R36 to be all that different from the R35.
Tamura made it clear that “ninety-nine percent of customers” don’t want hybrid assistance in their GT-R. Hybridization is also hard because of the platform and twin-turbo V6 of the sports coupe from Japan.
Speaking of which, the 370Z is manufactured in Tochigi since 2009. Also known as the Fairlady Z, the lesser brother of the GT-R relies on a 3.7-liter V6 with natural aspiration. Up to 350 horsepower and 276 pound-feet are available, and the NISMO gets SynchroRev Match as standard for the close-ratio manual transmission. A seven-speed automatic with Downshift Rev Matching is also available for customers who don’t understand sports cars.
For the 2020 model year, the coupe soliders on at $30,985 from the get-go with the three-pedal setup. Level up to the NISMO, and you’re looking at $48,085 with the automatic. Given this price point, does it come as a surprise sports car buyers prefer the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota 86 to a lesser extent?
The FM platform is expected to be replaced in 2021 with an Infiniti-developed AWD vehicle architecture. An even older report suggests that Nissan signed off the successor of the 370Z on the platform of the Q60. The Red Sport 400 is powered by a twin-turbo V6 with 3.0 liters of displacement.
