Quote:
Originally Posted by RToyo86
How many 400z do you think they are projecting to sell?
The trends show 350/370 sells well for 2-3 years then sharply falls off as they push out the same car.
Mustangs at least have the advantage of selling 70+k models a year to spread out profits at a lower cost.
Not saying they couldn't sell at a lower cost. I would just be surprised to see one >40k.
I also had to do some quick math in my head as I was initially using CAD for my projections. 4 cylinder supra start at $56k and $68k for 6 cylinder for reference. Our dollar sucks.
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I think you meant to say <$40k.
I think they need to do more revisions and special editions of the Z or something. Part of the problem with the Z, like you said, is that it doesn't change much. The Miata got a power bump. The Supra bumped up after a year, and it sounds like they plan to continue to push new editions. The Mustang and Camaro also change and improve every few years. They never go static. Maybe the new Z will get more changes because more boost is easier to add than trying to extract more power from a fully developed NA motor.
How many they sell will depend on how well the car can compete with other competitors in performance and price, and how well it's aesthetics are received. It has stiff competition though, but this new car could offer cheap power gains and better styling, so if it is priced right then it could sell well.
Sales of the 350Z were relatively pretty high compared to the 370Z. I think there are many factors on why they went down, but some of the downfall of the Z could have been due to the rise of the American pony cars. By the time the 350Z was done with its production run, a 4.6L Mustang was making 315hp and 325tq, yet the Mustang had started out making less power/performance.
There was also a lot of excitement with Nissan then. The 350Z was new and the G35 (aka Skyline) was finally in the states. Then in 2007 the GTR was released in the US and that really stole the limelight from the Z and the G35, which come to find out, wasn't a GTS R35 because, for the first time, the GTR was build on its own chassis with its own unique body. The GTR makes the Z look like a fumbling, underpowered and low tech dud.
Meanwhile, the Mustang saw an engine refresh in 2011, and the 5.0L V8 made 412hp and 390tq, and now the 3.7L V6 was good for 302hp and 280tq, which wasn't too far off from a more expensive 370Z with 332hp and 269tq, so now people had the choice of a 370Z with Mustang V6 power for Mustang V8 prices, or they could just buy a Mustang and either save some money or get better performance/power. By 2015, the Mustang's retro lines grew up to the current gen, and the motor is now making 460hp and 420tq, which now makes the 370Z look dated, overpriced and/or underpowered. For some, the fact that the other pony cars have 2+2 seating is also a selling point, but I don't think they should make the Z a four seater--just saying. It could be why the G35 sold so many more units.
A two seater sports car is going to be a specialty vehicle with a limited audience because of the reduced practicality, so I don't see Nissan selling these in huge numbers, especially in an economy like ours, but they have the potential to offer what other pony cars are offering, which is cheap power and performance. Moving the price upmarket only reduces their buyers, and it makes the car more exclusive, which will make it more prone to dealer hikes. They are best keeping the entry price low and to have a full range of prices up to a NISMO model, so there aren't dealer hikes, and so it can properly compete with cars like the Mustang. Realistically, they should throw a 2.0T in there and expand the line into the $25k bracket like the Mustang. In fact, I would also like to see a real NISMO model. It would be nice to see a 2.0T at $25k, a 300-350hp 3.0TT for $35k, a redeye model for $45-50k with 400-450hp and a NISMO model with the GTR's engine in a Z chassis for $55-65K. Call it a GT350/R competitor. If they can make a limited production Juke R with a VR38 from a GTR then they can do a NISMO Z-R with that motor:
