Nissan Z Nismo could get the stick 

A Nissan Americas spokesperson has confirmed a manual transmission is on the way for the Nismo performance brand in the US but exactly and when and where it’ll arrive remains unclear.

Nissan Americas Chairperson Christian Meunier this week confirmed a Nismo manual gearbox is on the way, telling the Automotive News podcast, “we have a Nismo manual coming”.

But whether it’ll make it to the locally delivered Nissan Z Nismo, however, remains unclear.

The Nissan Z range currently kicks off from $76,160 before on-road costs in Australia, however, the flagship Z Nismo (from $94,605) ups the ante, powered by the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 tuned to produce an extra 13kW/45Nm, for a total 309kW//520Nm.

It also adds bigger front brakes, suspension tweaks and wider, lighter 19-inch wheels, among other goodies.

But unlike the base Z coupe, which is offered with a six-speed manual (or nine-speed automatic) in Oz, the Nismo can only be had with the nine-speed auto.

In the US, the Japanese brand offers Nismo versions of other models including the Ariya electric SUV and Patrol SUV, neither of which are typical manual offerings, so there’s a good chance the new box is being developed specifically for the Z.

It’s still unclear – and far too early to speculate – whether Nissan will offer a manual transmission in the Z Nismo Down Under, but given the recent axing of the Toyota Supra – which could be had with either an eight-speed auto or six-speed manual – a stick-shift Nismo sports coupe would certainly be a unique offering in a dwindling market of fun, manual options.

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