Sadly, there most likely won’t be an all-new car to replace the aging Nissan 370Z for the 50th anniversary of Z next year. But the automaker wants to be clear that it hasn’t forgotten about that and the next-gen Nissan GT-R, both of which it plans on bringing back “one way or another.”
In an interview with Top Gear, Jean-Pierre Diernaz, one of Nissan’s marketing guys in Europe, said the company’s involvement in Formula E could help inspire the next generation of sports cars. Here’s the quote via Top Gear:
“I don’t see electrification and sports cars as technologies that are conflicting,” Diernaz told us. “Maybe it’s the other way around, sports cars can benefit lots from electrification. At the end of the day, a motor and battery are much easier to move from one platform to another, from one sub-segment to another, than a full internal combustion set-up.”
It’s been reported for years now that the next GT-R would likely be a hybrid, and Top Gear asked when we could expect that and a new Z, to which Dienaz responded:
“It’s work in progress! Not everything is confirmed in terms of dates. Sports cars are part of who we are, so one way or another they have to be there.”
This is also what I tell my parents when they ask me why I haven’t gotten married yet.
Diernaz also promised that the next GT-R “has to stay specifically Nissan,” suggesting that they wouldn’t rely on parts from their alliance with Mercedes or any other automakers for the flagship car. While that may be working out for Aston Martin sourcing AMG engines, it’s reassuring that not every GT car on the road will end up with the same parts in the name of cost cutting—though the cost savings could come from sharing batteries and motors parts with the rest of the Nissan lineup.
While Nissan is definitely dragging its feet on getting some fun new sports cars on the road, it’s just nice to hear them acknowledge it every once in awhile. Let’s hope all the waiting will be worth it.