The new Nissan Z won't be released until after 2030.

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      If you're a fan of Nissan's lively little two-seater, you might still be feeling the effects of the past few years' twists and turns. Here’s a quick recap for those out of the loop: The 370Z was fading away, seemingly without a successor in sight. Then came 2020, and suddenly whispers of a new model with a retro aesthetic emerged. We were skeptical, but Nissan indeed found the means to evolve the 370Z into what is now referred to simply as the Z—a car that debuted in 2023 (as a 2024 model), only to soon face a stop-sale affecting all models equipped with an automatic transmission.

      Quite a wild journey, right? However, things are finally stabilizing. Nissan has introduced a few updates to the Z—a refreshingly swift change for a vehicle whose predecessor had a tendency to stall—and restored the manual transmission option in its high-performance Nismo variant. The only drawback? Nissan has transitioned the Z to an “order-only” model, meaning dealers won’t automatically receive allocations; they will need to request inventory. Consequently, there will be fewer models available for test drives.

      On the positive side, if you’re interested in a Z, it should now be easier to have one configured just how you like, as dealers won’t be trying to push unwanted options on unsuspecting buyers merely to offload stock. Moreover, Nissan aims to leverage the Z’s legacy to enhance its brand image in the U.S. as it attempts to bounce back from a recent downturn.

      This indicates that the Z will receive more focus from the company’s product planners moving forward. Ponz Pandikuthira, a senior vice president at Nissan and its chief product & planning officer for the Americas, shared his vision with The Drive:

      “A lot of it is going to be heritage based,” said Pandikuthira. “Return to the authenticity of what the Z represented in the past. Develop special editions that resonate with that heritage and maintain that animated cycle plan.”

      When Pandikuthira mentions animations, he refers to iterations—new model variants that can attract different buying demographics without significant mid-cycle investment from Nissan. This change in approach is aimed at preventing the stagnation that caused the previous Z to become outdated:

      “Don't just build it and then walk away,” Pandikuthira stated concisely.

      This implies that he recognizes the car's ongoing reputation for inertia. However, things are different this time. In fact, Nissan is already contemplating the next generation of the Z.

      “You'll see a lot of that animation as special versions appear over the next three years,” Pandikuthira revealed. “And we're actively discussing what the next generation will look like.”

      That said, this doesn’t mean a new Z will be launched in three years; that's when Pandikuthira expects serious development to commence. After all, the Z is not Nissan’s flagship for performance—the GT-R holds that title and is currently absent, certainly a focus for the company's engineers.

      A new GT-R is expected in 2030. Hmm, that’s just a little over three years away. Coincidence?

      “The Z also needs to align with what the next-generation GT-R will entail,” Pandikuthira noted. “It should fit just below where a GT-R would be positioned.”

      We hope to understand what that entails soon.

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