Nissan 370Z NISMO priced to please

Nissan Australia has announced an unexpectedly low $61,490 starting price (plus on-road costs) for this month’s long-awaited 370Z NISMO.

At the same time, it has repriced its mainstream 370Z sports car range, which now opens at less than $50,000 for the first time.

That puts the eight-year-old 370Z -- a replacement for which is still in limbo -- on the same potential shopping list of customers for Ford’s top-selling Mustang, and even the BMW 2 Series and Volkswagen Scirocco coupe.

Nissan says its surprising new 370Z price structure is permanent and brings better value than ever before, with the 370Z Coupe manual now priced at $49,990 plus ORCs ($6940 less than before) and the auto costing $52,490.

Roadster buyers will save $4940, with the drop-top 370Z six-speed manual now pegged at $60,990 and the seven-speed auto now costing $63,490.

Meantime, a sub-$62K starting price positions Australia’s first official 370Z NISMO Coupe – which arrives in showrooms late this month -- just $11,500 upstream of the standard 370Z Coupe, with an automatic version broadening its appeal for an extra $2500.

While that lowers the admission price of Nissan Australia’s NISMO line-up, which currently comprises only the $300,000 GT-R NISMO, there will be no 370Z NISMO Roadster and there’s no sign yet of a third NISMO model.

That model was previously expected to be the JUKE NISMO RS, while other NISMO models available overseas are based on the European Pulsar, Japanese Note and Middle Eastern Patrol.

Nissan Australia managing director Richard Emery said the NISMO’s arrival was the right time to lower prices of mainstream 370Z models.

“The impending arrival of the Nissan 370Z NISMO allowed us to re-look at pricing across all variants,” he said.

“The NISMO version naturally sits at the top of the Nissan 370Z range, but we wanted to maintain competitive pricing. This re-positioning offers a range of price points that will be attractive to a wider group of customers.

“We hope this will drive sports car buyers into Nissan showrooms, giving them more choice and offering significantly more value for money.”

Full local specifications are yet to be revealed, but the 370Z NISMO winds up the outputs of the standard 370Z, which is powered by a 245kW 3.7-litre V6, to 257kW.

It should also add a NISMO body kit and interior enhancements, 19-inch RAYS alloy wheels and upgrades brakes, suspension and body rigidity.

These features will be in addition to standard 370Z equipment including a 7.0-inch integrated colour touch-screen, satellite-navigation with 3D mapping, sports leather-accented seats and Bluetooth connectivity.

Nissan has sold almost 4200 370Zs since the car’s launch here in April 2009, but sales are 17 per cent down so far this year, with just 183 customers found to July this year.

Nissan 370Z pricing (plus ORCs):
370Z Coupe manual -- $49,990
370Z Coupe auto -- $52,490
370Z Roadster manual -- $60,990
370Z Roadster auto -- $63,490
370Z NISMO Coupe manual -- $61,490
370Z NISMO Coupe auto -- $63,990