jwfisher

Let's take this a bit further with some choices. Vote or discuss with a reply.

Givens:

• fleet average fuel economy has to significantly increase over the next few years. That could at a minimum impact a base engine for the next Z.
• sharing a platform with the Nissan FM platform family (which includes the Infiniti G) dictates most of the major dimensions, all of the major hardpoints, and an inherently higher weight than a dedicated Z-only platform would. Sharing a platform does provide significant savings in development and production costs.
• We don't know if there is a jointly developed platform with Mercedes because this has not been announced for this class of car.
• the very very low sales volume of the Z means minimal development money would be available for it - which is why the 350Z and 370Z used the common Nissan FM platform of their time
• an all-new platform is far more expensive to develop if it is an "orphan" - aka it isn't shared with anything else
• the current Z is fairly heavy, which is a result of the platform sharing and also impacts fuel economy
• Nissan does not have unlimited money to spend, a much higher rate of return is waiting in the developing Indian and fast-growing Chinese markets.
• we all love the Z and know that Nissan will continue it.

Disclaimer: we have no inside knowledge so this all open discussion.

Two questions: platform and engine for the next Z.

Please keep this realistic. No dreaming: Nissan will have to be on a realistic budget. Discuss what we feel is realistic given all the above, not impossible.

1. Platform

• Make it an evolution of the current FM platform and share it with Infiniti again. Use further weight saving measures to get the weight down a little more.
• Make it a variation of the upcoming joint Mercedes platform, to be shared with Infiniti. But don't cheap out on the suspension - we want all the same good bits.
• Make it a variation of the upcoming joint Mercedes platform, to be shared with Infiniti. But get the cost down by cheapening the suspension, as Hyundai does with the Genesis Coupe versus the Genesis Sedan (more stamped steel parts to reduce cost, even a front McPherson suspension).
• Take the time and expense to create an all-new and significantly lighter platform, understanding that it has to be shared with something other than Infiniti and that the "maximum" engine choice would be limited to a naturally-aspired V-6 because all the corresponding components would be lighter-duty. This may add years to the process, yet could also yield a smallish AE-86/200ZX type product as well as a premium matching rear wheel drive platform for Infiniti. This is a multi-billion dollar investment for Nissan.

2. Engines
(vote for/discuss multiple engines if you agree that this should be the case)

• Give the base Z a separate engine from the "touring/upmarket" Z, one which would provide much better fuel economy without loosing too much performance and which would have it's own unique driving character. Not a smaller V-6 As we've seen in the Infiniti G25 (which as Infiniti knows now makes for a very uninteresting car) but the supercharged 2.5 liter DOHC 4.
• Give the base Z a separate engine from the "touring/upmarket" Z. In this case, a 2.5 liter DOHC V-6, enhanced with direct injection.
• As a sole engine, or an upmarket engine (if multiple engines), upgrade the current 3.7 liter V-6 with more advanced electronics, direct injection, and other state-of-the-art enhancements to stretch it's life further into the future. Keep in mind that no matter what evolves here, this type of engine can only deliver mileage significantly under the required corporate average.
• As an upmarket offering, for a Nismo-type product, offer a naturally aspirated engine.
• As an upmarket offering, for a Nismo-type product, offer the twin-turbocharged 3 liter DOHC V-6 engine from the recently trademarked Infiniti G30t. The Nismo price would then be about the same as the G30t price - presumably upper 40s. HP would be just over 400.
• As an upmarket offering, for a Nismo-type product, offer a variation of the GT-R engine, rear wheel drive only, and slightly detuned. This implies a very high price, just under the entry level GT-R of the same timeframe (meaning, probably ~80s at a minimum). HP would be as much as 500.

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