Nissan Z Roadster dead

There will be no convertible version of the new Nissan Z Coupe.

The seventh generation of Nissan’s legendary Z sports car is now rolling into dealerships in Australia, but anyone waiting for a drop-top version – like the one digitally rendered here by Sugardesign_1 via Instagram – will be disappointed.

The limited resources devoted to the new Nissan Z simply didn’t stretch to a roadster, especially as only a small minority of buyers prefer wind-in-the-hair motoring over a hard-top.

“The customer said no,” explained the Nissan Z’s chief product specialist Hiroshi Tamura.

Tamura, who has now become the global brand ambassador for the Z Coupe, explained that 88 per cent of buyers of the superseded 370Z went for the coupe rather than the drop-top.

“Too small [demand] to invest in a convertible product,” he explained.

While there are seven Z-car generations, Nissan has offered drop-top versions of only the last three – the 300ZX, 350Z and the 370Z.

Production of the last Z Roadster, the 370Z, ended in 2019 because of declining sales in the US, its biggest market.

By the time it finished up in Australia in early 2020 priced at $61,490, the 370Z Roadster was accounting for less than 10 per cent of local sales.

The end of the Z Roadster leaves the Mazda MX-5 as the only affordable Japanese sports convertible on sale in Australia.

The bright side for Tamura and Z fans is at least there is a new Z Coupe. Back in 2017 there was every chance top Nissan management was going to let the line end when the 370Z (launched in 2009) expired.

“Five years ago there was some attitude or atmosphere that [370Z] was the final model in our company,” admitted Tamura.

“Company or corporate decision is always about for a macro, meaning the mainstream,” he added.

“Quite frankly, we are not a sports car company. Generally, we are full line-up company – 90 or 95 per cent of our profits are in that area.”

Speaking at the Australian media launch of the new Z Coupe, Tamura revealed a short hand-written memo he wrote in March 2017 outlining how to cost-effectively update Z.

The concept relied on an evolution of the 370Z’s rear-drive underpinnings, but powered up with the Infiniti Red Mark 298kW twin-turbo V6 – an update urged by Zed fans – and a new exterior design. Tamura also successfully pushed for the retention of a six-speed manual gearbox.

The memo led to a 15-minute meeting with management that in turn eventually led to a green light for production of the new Z Coupe.

“I was thinking about this gorgeous solution… to have for our company,” said Tamura.

So far around 1200 orders have been placed for the new Z Coupe in Australia, which is one of three key markets for the car alongside the US and Japan.

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