Nissan Z makes surprise appearance in PH

Well that was a surprise. The all-new Nissan Z, called the 400Z by some people, is already in the Philippines as it made a surprise appearance at an event held by Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) for dealer partners and global executives.

Part of the Z-car line of Nissan, the Z, without its numerical nomenclature, is now in its seventh generation. It was revealed in August 2020, 15 years after the 370Z was first released, with a new twin-turbo V6 engine as well as all-new exterior and interior styling.

Now we’ve tried to get some information from our good friends at Nissan Philippines regarding the Z’s launch in the market but unfortunately to no avail. Regardless, we’re sure that the local launch will be soon given that it has already been previewed at this event. Also, NPI President Juan Manuel Hoyos announced at the company’s media thanksgiving party in January this year, the introduction of a vehicle with “speed, excitement, and performance” before the year ends.

Based on the Z Proto concept presented in 2020, the Z boasts an exterior design with an appearance that communicates respect to its lineage. Its long hood and short deck are fundamentally Z, and the overall design theme for the exterior and interior of the new Z follows “tradition with modern technology.” The LED headlights take inspiration from the Japan-exclusive Fairlady 240ZG of the 70’s. The LED taillights on the other hand take inspiration from the Z32 300ZX.

Inside, the all-new Z also combines retro design cues from older-generation Z cars with modern technology. Just like previous-generation Z’s, the center-stack gets a set of three gauge clusters. An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system comes as standard as well as a 12.3-inch customizable digital driver’s instrument cluster.

Under the hood of the Nissan Z is a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 gasoline engine that produces 400 horsepower and 475 Nm of torque. It is paired to either a 6-speed manual or a new 9-speed automatic transmission. Its higher performance Nismo version was also recently revealed as well with the same engine but producing 420 horsepower and 520 Nm of torque, and exclusively paired with the automatic transmission.

Again, we failed to get any details so we do not know yet when exactly Nissan Philippines plans to launch the all-new Z. Regardless, it’s surely gonna be very soon.