Could the Next Nissan Z Be a Scaled-Down BRZ/FR-S and MX-5 Fighter?

9 years, 4 months ago - 4 July 2015, Carbuzz

It's not as far-fetched as you may think. Autoblog recently sat down with Nissan’s chief creative officer, Shiro Nakamura, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The subject of discussion was the 370Z and its successor. Nakamura threw somewhat of a curve ball with regard to the sports car's future.

"We are studying a couple of different concepts. Because the sports car market is becoming smaller globally. We would like to do something, I personally think, is more [in the] original concept of Z, which is ... more practical and appealing to younger customers."

That's right, the next Nissan Z could be inspired by the original Datsun 240Z. That means smaller, more affordable and probably less powerful. That would likely make it a competitor to the BRZ/FR-S and MX-5. But what about the iDX concept that was supposed to take that slot? Nakamura flatly stated that the concept is dead: "I think IDx will not be produced.” He did however say the Z could take its place. None of this is official and could change. It wasn't long ago that we reported the iDX was destined for construction, so perhaps this news should be taken with a grain of salt and some speculation.