You know what I’ve always disliked about Nissan’s Z family? They’re just too well-developed, reliable and easy to work on. I mean, where’s the fun on saving coin and being able to spin a spanner on your own car. That’s poor mans work. And delivering an enjoyable, decently-fast drive? Bah. Who wants that. So I’m really glad that Nissan have decided to address these issues with the next-gen Z car by partnering up with a European automaker, one of which is known for high-maintenance costs, sketchy-at-best reliability, and a lack-luster drive for value.
Yep, Nissan is rumored to be co-developing the seventh-gen Z car with Mercedes, 10 years after the previous model. There isn’t much in the way of details at the moment, but according to Japanese website Response, Nissan liked what Toyota was doing with BMW on the new Supra and thought they would get in on the action too.
The same article talks about using a Mercedes-developed shared chassis while being offered up in two trim levels: a lower-spec two-litre turbo built by Mercedes, and a higher-performance option using a VR30DDTT from the Infiniti Q60.
However there is a glimmer of hope for a proper Z car, as Nissan and Infiniti maintain a strict brand separation as it is, so sulling three brands into one might be an issue for the automotive giant(s). And I sincerely hope this is the case, as Daimler (Mercedes) past collaborations have proven that they aren’t a company that collaborates, rather heavily pushing their own design cues and over complications onto the lesser party (see Chrysler Crossfire).
As of yet it’s all rumors and speculation that needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but regardless of how or who it’s made with, the fact that 2019 marks 50 years since the original Z car brews up a small amount of hope for at least some kind of announcement, if not a new car.