Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - Nissan 370Z Fairlady Z goes on sale in Japan 12.01.08

AK370Z · 12-08-2008, 07:15 PM

Nissan chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga presents the Nissan Fairlady Z (370Z) to the home market.

TOKYO — America saw it first at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show in late November — but Japan today become the first nation to have Nissan's impressive new 370Z sport coupe actually go on sale. The car launched in Tokyo as the Fairlady Z, the Z car's traditional, if decidedly quaint, home-market name.

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Nissan's redesigned sportster is priced here at the equivalent of just under $38,000 for the base Z Coupe with six-speed manual. The Z's new seven-speed automatic transmission is a $1,100 option.

Arguably the most desirable Japan Z is the top-end Version ST with 19-inch alloys and Bose audio system. It's priced from the equivalent of $45,638 to $46,738. There are two other midrange Zs, the Version S and T, below that.

All new Z cars get the same raunchy VQ37 VHR 3.7-liter V6 which in Japan tune punches out 331 horsepower, giving it a useful edge over the outgoing Z.

Japan might have gotten the new Z first but North America, as ever, will be where the Z sales action will be hottest and where the first cars will start appearing on dealer lots in January. In Japan, the specialty/sports-car sector continues to shrink. Nissan is predicting its Japan Z sales will amount to no more than 500 units per month eventually, but it plans to sell twice that many between now and March as the new Z-car buzz takes effect.

Across the globe, this new Z will ship to 120 countries. The keenly awaited new Z convertible is a virtual lock to make its debut at the 2009 New York Auto Show in April before a summer 2009 launch.

Also, Yutaka Katayama, better known as Mr K and the legendary father of the Z car, will be celebrating his 100th birthday in September 2009. So 2009, the iconic sports car's 40th anniversary, will be a massive year for the Z car.

Inside Line says: The Year of the Z begins. — Peter Nunn, Correspondent

Here are couple videos I found on youtube. Enjoy