Nissan 400Z to undercut Supra on price

Reports from North America claim to have secured pricing details of the new-generation 2021 Nissan 400Z – and suggest it may not be called the Nissan 400Z at all.

According to details posted on the NewNissanZ forum, the Japanese brand’s crucial new mainstream Z35-series sports car could be named ‘Nissan Z’ in some global markets, while the 400Z moniker may be used in Japan.

The post cites “an inside source” for the new data and alleges the Nissan 400Z will be priced from $US34,995 ($A45,887).

For the record, the Nissan 370Z is currently priced from $US30,990 ($A40,647) in the US.

However, Australian buyers shouldn’t bank on the new Z being anything other than more expensive than the current model, which starts from $50,490 plus on-road costs.

carsales understands the new circa-300kW bi-turbo V6 road rocket will be priced in the $60,000 to $70,000 price bracket in Australia.

This won’t bother the Toyota 86 – currently starting at $32,180 plus ORCs – but, importantly, will see the new Z-car undercut its arch-rival, the $87,000-plus Toyota Supra, by a considerable margin.

The 2022 Nissan 400Z will also outpower the Supra’s 280kW 3.0-litre BMW-sourced inline six-cylinder engine.

The new Nissan sports car will pack a 300kW 3.0-litre turbo V6 petrol engine (VR30DDTT), which should be good for close to 500Nm of torque.

Unlike the auto-only Supra, the 400Z will come with a manual transmission too, as well as an automatic.

There is talk the Nissan Z’s new auto gearbox will be the nine-speed unit also used by the Nissan Titan full-size US pick-up truck, but it remains to be seen if it will match the Supra’s rapid-fire 4.3-second 0-100km/h sprint (via launch control).

We can also glean equipment levels for the new Nissan coupe from the forum post, with entry-level versions claimed to get Akebono brakes with fixed callipers, a widescreen central touch-screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sports seats and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as standard.

Four model grades will be offered in the US, allegedly borrowing Honda’s naming convention, with the Type S the second-rung model, which gets chassis upgrades thanks to Brembo brakes, revised anti-roll bars and so forth.

The Nissan Z Type T is all about comfort and luxury, with heated and cooled power-adjustable leather seats, adaptive cruise control and so on.

The range-topping Type ST Nissan Z model grade combines spec from both the S and T variants, and is likely to be the sole model offered in Australia.

While official details of the new Japanese-built sports car will be revealed this year, the Nissan 400Z has already been exposed after pre-production versions destined for dealer conferences were leaked by the transport company in charge of deliveries.

And while Nissan wouldn’t confirm or deny rumours of a name change for some global markets, it did release this statement, which confirms the rear-drive Nissan coupe’s full reveal will take place later in 2021: “As always, it is exciting to see so much enthusiasm surrounding the rebirth of our legendary Z.

“We will not comment on speculation, no matter how optimistic it may be. Watch for upcoming announcements on Nissan’s all-new, next-generation sports car, which will debut later this year.”

The forum post also confirms the NISMO version of the Z35-series sports car will be a hardcore transformation and not just a sticker kit with a big rear wing, while the convertible roadster Z car will come later.

Australian deliveries of the new Nissan 400Z are expected to begin early in 2022.