New Nissan Z may already be sold out

If you want to get your hands on the new Nissan Z coupe this year, you may already be too late.

Demand for the seventh-generation Nissan Z sports car has spiked before pricing has even been announced, with more than 1000 customer deposits already placed for the new Z in Australia.

That’s the bad news. The good news? It’s arriving earlier than expected.

The hotly-anticipated 2022 Nissan Z, which sends 298kW of power to its rear wheels via a carbon-fibre driveshaft, was originally set to arrive in Australia in early 2022 but that was later pushed back to the second half of 2022. Now Nissan has now confirmed first shipments will indeed land by mid-2022.

That means the first Aussie buyers will get their cars not long after the first right-hand drive vehicles roll into Japanese dealerships.

The expedition of the Nissan’s new performance flagship Down Under, following the axing of the Nissan GT-R supercar, appears to have been influenced by the huge number of paid deposits placed for the car locally.

Nissan Australia managing director Adam Paterson told carsales that interest in the news retro-themed twin-turbo Z-car was huge.

“The demand is really exciting for us. We have over 3000 hand-raisers or registrations for interest and over 1000 customers that have put down deposits at dealers,” he said.

Paterson added that deposit amounts paid by customers varied between dealerships and Nissan has confirmed the vast majority of orders are for the manual version at a whopping 70 per cent, while 30 per cent are opting for automatic variant.

But does the huge order bank mean the sleek Nissan Z will be sold out before it even arrives?

“Sell out means I know exactly how many that we’re getting,” stated Paterson, indicating that initial shipment numbers from Japan were yet to be finalised, but he added he is confident of selling at least 1000 vehicles this year once pricing is released next week.

“We think we will [sell 1000 vehicles], based on 1000 customers who in advance of the pricing release put money down, because they’re that interested in the Z, without knowing what it’s going to cost. I think that’s really, really exciting,” he said.

Orders for the new Nissan sports car, which traces its illustrious history back to the 1969 Datsun 240Z, are expected to increase once pricing is officially revealed, especially if it undercuts its arch-rival, the Toyota Supra (from $87,303).

“What we do see is that every time there’s more news we release, there’s a spike in interest. We see immediate activity on our website,” said Paterson.

Increasing customer demand and the global supply chain crisis show no signs of abating, combined with the high number of pre-orders, could see the new Nissan Z sold out for the entirety of 2022 and perhaps well into 2023.

The 2022 Nissan Z is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 pumping out 298kW and 475Nm, and both the six-speed manual and nine-speed auto versions of the rear-drive two-door come with a launch control system, but Nissan has not divulged a 0-100km/h acceleration time.

Two model grades will be offered in Australia – the standard 2022 Nissan Z Coupe and a limited number of Z Proto Spec variants. The Nissan Australia boss wouldn’t say how many of the limited-edition Zs will come here, but did say it will be a ‘three-figure number’.

According to the Nissan Australia website, regular Z models will come with 19-inch alloy wheels and an 8.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a customisable 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and leather-accented seats as standard.

Nine paint colour options are on the table, but the Z Proto Spec models are only available in the Ikazuchi Yellow exterior hue with contrasting black roof.

Australian pricing for the new Nissan Z will be announced mid next week, so stay tuned for more details.

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