Is Nissan going soft? How will Z35 be affected?

[sun tzu]

So with the news that the IDX and Eau Rouge aren't likely to be made and the company is instead going to concentrate on more core (mass volume) models are we seeing Nissan go the way of companies like Honda that basically abandoned sports cars?

Worst thing that coulda happened to Nissan was losing Andy Palmer and de Nysschen. They seemed to actually care about enthusiast type of cars.

And is this a bad sign for the next Z car?

 

[350ZZZ]

Totally agree about losing Andy Palmer. Gotta wonder what came first tho. I think Nissan felt he had too many big risky plans and got rid of him instead of the other way around.

 

[MisterNismo]

Check this out, Nissan's last quarterly profits soared and they're doing better than ever financially: http://europe.autonews.com/article/...ting-profit-nearly-doubles-on-u-s-sales-surge

To me this says that Nissan is going soft. They're obviously doing well enough financially but still choosing to go with less and less sports / enthusiast type cars.

 

[626m3]

Totally agree about losing Andy Palmer. Gotta wonder what came first tho. I think Nissan felt he had too many big risky plans and got rid of him instead of the other way around.

They woulda just reeled him in instead of firing him. Plus, he got an upgrade in job title by leaving so I doubt he was pushed out.

 

[626m3]

Check this out, Nissan's last quarterly profits soared and they're doing better than ever financially: http://europe.autonews.com/article/...ting-profit-nearly-doubles-on-u-s-sales-surge

To me this says that Nissan is going soft. They're obviously doing well enough financially but still choosing to go with less and less sports / enthusiast type cars.

Great quarterly profit was due in large part to the strength of the USD against the yen. Plus all auto manufacturers are hitting record sales recently. Unfortunately it seems most companies are going away from the hardcore sports cars and concentrating on what the buyers want right now - crossovers and small SUVs.

 

[350ZZZ]

Well the GT-R is getting more and more hardcore with updates. And they just revealed the 370z convertible NISMO concept. So I wouldn't say they're going soft really. But they are getting financially savvier (in their eyes) but focusing more on the core models which make them the bulk of their money.

 

[Adam]

When the next Z - Z35 comes out and if it ends up being a smaller lighter car but with less horsepower I think some ppl out there will say Nissan went soft with it compared to the 350z/370z, which have always had really solid HP figures.

But those guys will be the ones who are way too into horsepower numbers rather than how a car might drive overall. I'd rather the entire driving experience be improved rather than being able to brag about my car's HP on paper!

 

[350ZZZ]

See my post in the other 'lighter smaller' thread. They've had the same 2 sports cars (Z and GT-R) in their lineup since 2007. By not making the IDX and Eau Rouge doesn't mean they're getting softer IMO it just means they're not looking to making more sporty cars currently.

 

[MillerP]

As long as they keep the Z in the line up I will not say they are going soft. The Z is the bread and butter mainstream sports car. I can understand not going after the entry level IDX market which is a tough one to crack.

Nissan has been pushing the race heritage message so I have faith they are not going soft just yet.

 

[MisterNismo]

As long as they keep the Z in the line up I will not say they are going soft. The Z is the bread and butter mainstream sports car. I can understand not going after the entry level IDX market which is a tough one to crack.

Nissan has been pushing the race heritage message so I have faith they are not going soft just yet.

Exactly. Launching a GT-R LM Nismo car for Le Mans is the exact opposite of going soft!

 

[350ZZZ]

It would be such a shame to not have a next generation Z car that benefits from all the R&D from the GT-R. To sink all those costs and not build a volume sports car to recoup some of it is insane.

 

[Seong]

Exactly. Launching a GT-R LM Nismo car for Le Mans is the exact opposite of going soft!

Amen. It's just the haters hatin... Just wait until the new Z hits I'm sure it won't disappoint given how awesome the GT-R has been.