Nissan Says There’s Always Temptation To Make A Z SUV

The Z Proto is arguably the hottest new Nissan we've seen in years - it has the perfect mix between vintage influences and modern tweaks. It's too early to say whether it's the vehicle that the automaker has been waiting for as a savior (we doubt that) but at least it's a breath of fresh air from Yokohama.

What Nissan definitely needs right now is a new cash cow. The financial situation of the firm is not particularly great and it's exploring many potential ideas for new models that could bring in fresh money. And a Z Proto SUV is not something that's been ruled out.

During a recent media event, Ivan Espinosa, Nissan's Senior Vice President for Global Product Planning, admitted the manufacturer is exploring a potential Z SUV. It hasn't received the production green light yet but it hasn't been ruled out as a possibility either.

"There's always temptation, we're always exploring these things," Espinosa told CarAdvice during the meeting when asked about a potential Z SUV. "The strength of Z – the brand – is so big, that it could potentially allow some wild things."

There were rumors about the new Z being a high-riding model but the speculation was disproved with the debut of the almost production-ready prototype. Still, that doesn't mean the door is completely closed for a future Z SUV as it may be the answer to Nissan's burning question.

"Z is about connecting with the car you're driving. So the real sports car experience, you need the low driving position," Espinosa added. "You can still deliver a very exciting experience, but it will never be physically possible to deliver the same experience as if you were sitting as low as you were sitting in the Z coupe."