Countdown to Nissan 400Z officially begins

The countdown to the reveal of the long-awaited 2021 Nissan 400Z, as we expect it to be called, has officially begun!

And contrary to reports just a few days ago that Nissan’s next-generation Z-car would not be revealed until 2022 before going on sale in 2023, it appears the new Z will be revealed -- at least in prototype form -- within just weeks.

The darkened screenshot you see here was taken from an official YouTube teaser video posted by Nissan tonight, accompanied by the words:

“Nissan Z Proto coming soon. 50 years of passion. Innovation at its core. Modern technology, and a nod to 50 years of heritage. The #NissanZ Proto is coming. Stay tuned! #PowerofZ”

That leaves no doubt that the reveal of the first all-new Z-car in almost 20 years is imminent. As we’ve long reported, expect production to start in the second half of next year, before the first cars arrive here around the end of 2021.

Tonight’s news follows an earlier official teaser video that revealed the new Z35-series coupe in silhouette, alongside a range of upcoming Nissan models including the facelifted 2021 Navara ute as part of the car-maker’s 2023 business plan.

It was the first official confirmation that Nissan would not kill off the iconic Z-car, or use the famous badge on an SUV, and formed the basis of a number of unofficial renders since then.

With the help of some Photoshop lightening, this teaser confirms key design details first seen in May, including a trademark long-bonnet design with pronounced rear haunches, punctuated by a new headlight design incorporating halo-style LED light signatures top and bottom – a new design signature expected on other future Nissans.

We’ve written reams about the much-anticipated replacement for the existing Nissan 370Z, which was launched more than a decade ago in 2009 but actually dates back to the 350Z of 2002.

Although none of it has been officially confirmed, our sources insist the 2021 Nissan 400Z will be powered by a new 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 (VR30DDTT) sourced from the Infiniti Q60 coupe, with which it's also likely to share its rear-drive platform.

With around 300kW of power, it will not only bring a significant performance leap over the 253kW/371Nm outputs of the 3.7-litre naturally-aspirated V6 in the top-shelf Nissan 370Z NISMO, but will also see the compact rear-drive coupe eclipse the 285kW of the upgraded MY21 Toyota Supra due here later this year.

The next Nissan Z is also expected to undercut the circa-$85K starting price of the larger Japanese car-maker’s BMW Z4-based turbo-six sports coupe.

But the latest in a long line of affordable rear-drive Nissan Z-cars dating back more than 50 years to the original 240Z of 1969 won’t be as cheap as the current model (from $50,490); we expect a starting price of around $70,000 when it arrives here in late 2021.

And an even hotter NISMO version of the Nissan 400Z, which would be a direct rival for the expected Toyota Supra GRMN, is likely to follow the standard coupe.

Stand by for what will be one of the biggest global debuts. Soon.