Andaesthetics

Let's talk pricing. I've been seeing online and in comments on social media a lot of people think the new Z will be $50k+. I completely disagree and let me share why. Feel free to share your opinions as well.

The Z car is and has always been known as an affordable sports car that is obtainable by any enthusiast. They even said this in the Z Proto livestream reveal. That being said I believe if the new Z was more than $45k INCLUDING options, it would not be successful in todays market. I see the new Z competing mainly against the likes of the Mustang GT and the Supra. Starting at under $40k you get great V8 performance from the Mustang GT. But of course the head to head will be with the Supra.

The 6-cyclinder Supra ranges from $50-55k. If the new Z was in that price range it would need to be a better all-around car for it to beat the Supra in sales. This means, when a consumer is looking at buying one of the two, they're comparing which has better performance, better styling/design, better interior finish, and better driving experience. Let's break down each of these segments:

-Performance: the new 2021 Supra now has 382HP. The new Z is rumored to have 400HP. Yes that is 18hp more but we also don't know how much the new Z will weigh. If it weighs more than the Supra, that extra hp becomes negligible.
-Styling/Design: the new Z will be heavily based upon the Z Proto as they said it is over 90% production ready. Based on online reviews and outpouring criticisms from enthusiasts, the styling seems to be on the fence for a lot of people. Some love it, some hate it. Some like most of the new design, but hate other parts of it and vice-versa.
-Interior: the new Z has a much nicer, more modern interior compared to the current generation, but is it nice enough compared to the Supra? Yes the Supra has a BMW interior, but regardless it is still a nice interior.
-Driving Experience: manual option. This is the one category that the new Z has the definite advantage in. I think any enthusiast will agree the new Z wins in this segment.


Other things to take into account is the fact that Sports cars sales have been dwindling drastically in recent time. If the current gen Z is priced at ~$30k starting, ~$40k with full options and still barely selling in today's market, why would they put out the next gen Z that is a whole $10k over? Yes, there are improvements to the new Z, however I don't see those improvements equating to a ~$50k+ price tag. I can see the new Z Nismo starting at $50-55k, but not the regular gen Z.

If they're smart, they'll put out the next gen Z starting at an undercutting price around $35k and optioning out to around $45k. Why? Because undercutting the current market competitors will almost force consumers to go with the new Z. At the end of the day price is what ultimately determines the cars we buy and having a great performing, modernized, refined sports car at an unbeatable price would dominate the market.