The Z's heritage is all about performance, handling, cutting edge styling and loyalty. As long as they keep the things that "got them there" I'm fine with that. However, can you picture a Dodge Viper with a 4-cylinder, twin-turbo, 8-speed automatic and other "fluff" added just to appeal to the masses? I think not! If you want a 4-cylinder, turbo that gets 30mpg, get a Pontiac Solstice Red Line! Otherwise, get a TRUE sports car simply called "Z".

Expect a reconceptualized Z more in line with the scion frs and subaru brz folks.

:rolleyes:

almost as stupid as saying you should only get black guys to play basketball.

And a few europeans...

i can't find anything at all about this^ are you sure dude? i have never heard of running a turbo like that. i can't imagine that an electrically powered blower could ever produce the kind of PSI an exhaust flow based turbo could

not even close to the same market as a Z. again, this is why a 240sx successor makes sense

"•Unveiling of the new Z concept could come as early as the 2014 Detroit Auto Show"

Whaaaaa, I hope we get more official specs and sketches mid to 3rd qtr 2013 than have to wait for some super unveiling at the auto show in 2014

if its boosted then God help my bank account when it comes out.... if not.. then no care

either u are talkin bout some cheap aftermarket electric turbo or are mistaken...

http://image.trucktrend.com/f/268521...uke-engine.jpg

that is the current juke engine. as u can see, the turbo is clearly connected to the exhaust side, like every turbo in history.

am i missing some new invention that i havent heard of here

Exactly. These low volume cars aren't profitable which isn't a big deal if its not impacting the bottom line. Its a different story now exacerbated by the fact that the Yen is stronger than the dollar. Part of the strategy is to reduce imports and part of it is to diffuse costs by boosting sales, exactly Nissan's plan for the Z by making it appeal to a broader audience (READ: We're going to make it cheap and affordable which will increase units).

Reconceptualizing the Z would do the latter and given the relative success of the FRS/BRZ makes the most sense. I say relative b/c the North American market overwhelmingly gravitates towards American cars when it comes to sports cars. But it looks to me like Nissan is taking a page out of the Toyota playbook - make it cheap and affordable and give it measurable performance and we'll move more units which will make out balance sheet look better.

I havent looked into it too deeply I admit and could be mistaken. Engine bay is a bit crowed to see details. Guy at the dealership was telling me about it. All I know is the battery screen pops up and the battery level goes down the more you use the turbo. You have to let it recharge so something electrical is happening so I asumed this is how it was setup. Ill look more into it.

I don't care what Nissan does. Pretty sure I'll like there decision.

At least it's not a Mustang.:stirthepot:

1) "the guy at the dealership" most likely knows very little about the mechanical bits of a powertrain other than their specs used to sell the car. 2) that's not how a turbo works. the turbo has virtually nothing to do with the battery other than it's connection to the engine that supplies power to the battery. 3) i know the juke has a boost gauge you can see on the infotainment screen if so equipped but it sounds as tho you are referring to a trans temp gauge used to protect the CVT. that would be much, much, much more realistic

This would be a good move -- the only thing about the Z that I don't love is the overall size. It could easily be a bit smaller and lighter, just as Nakamura noted.

With a turbo 4 it could have as good or better power to weight as the current Z (and have lots of room to grow!), but get way better MPG.

Seriously -- this would be a big win all the way around.