On the market since late 2008, Nissan’s iconic Z sports car is long overdue for a redesign. Therefore, it came as good news when Nissan announced in May that it would embark on a comprehensive “A-to-Z” lineup refresh, one which would include an update to the aging icon. But Z loyalists will need to exercise still more patience, as the manufacturer’s plan will lean heavily into electrification, with the electric Ariya crossover being one of Nissan’s top priorities and the comparatively low-volume Z among its lowest. So low, in fact, that we will reportedly have to wait until 2023 to drive it.
According to Britain’s Auto Express, the next-gen Z, thought to be called the 400Z, is expected to make its public debut in late 2022 and hit showrooms the following year. This timeline reportedly aligns with unspecified documents published by Nissan outlining the launch of an internal combustion-engined model toward the end of its A-to-Z scheme, which wraps up in early 2024 at the end of fiscal year 2023.
Rumors of the 400Z’s technical specification thus far suggest the sports car will utilize an evolution of the “FM” architecture that underpins the Infiniti Q50 and Q60. The 400Z will also allegedly inherit these Infinitis’ powertrain, a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 whose 400 horsepower will likely flow to the rear wheels via the Infiniti’s nine-speed automatic or a rumored manual option.
Some sources indicate a hybrid, high-performance Nismo variant with performance nearing that of the early R35 GT-R will arrive down the road, and Nissan officials haven’t gone out of their way to count out such a possibility. Auto Express, however, reportedly “understands” that the 400Z won’t offer any form of electrification at launch, so if the Z is destined to become a high-performance hybrid, it seemingly won’t assume that form for quite a while.
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