Renault and Nissan automobile logos are pictured during the Brussels Motor Show on January 9, 2020 in Brussels. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)
Kenzo Tribouillard | Afp | Getty Images
Automobile giants Renault and Nissan on Monday agreed to restructure their decades-long alliance, in a move that would see Renault’s shareholdings in Nissan reduced from around 43% to 15%.
The deal, which still pends board approvals, would equalize the companies’ cross-shareholdings, with the carmakers now able to “freely exercise the voting rights attached to their 15% direct shareholdings, with a 15% cap,” the companies said.
The new structure would also see Renault transfer 28.4% of Nissan shares into a French trust.
Voting rights in the trust would be “‘neutralized’ for most of the decisions, but the economic rights (dividends and shares’ sale proceeds) would still entirely benefit to Renault until such shares are sold,” according to the Monday announcement.
Renault would instruct the trustee to sell those shares if “commercially reasonable” and as part of a “coordinated and orderly process.”
The carmakers first signed their coalition in March 1999, expanding it to include junior partner Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. The Monday deal comes after months of intense discussions over the restructure of the Franco-Japanese alliance.
As part of the agreement, Nissan would also invest in Ampere, Renault’s electric vehicle arm, while the two companies will embark on “high-value-creation operational projects” in Latin America, India and Europe.
Renault announced in November that it had signed a non-binding framework agreement with China’s Geely to establish a new company producing hybrid powertrains and “highly efficient ICE [internal combustion engine] powertrains.”
The French giant has also entered into a long-term strategic cooperation with U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm.
Renault shares dropped 1.4% in early trade in Europe, while Nissan shares were down by around 0.7% during Asian trading hours overnight.
There is, in the current state of the car world, not as much color on cars as there should be, with automakers prioritizing things like “sales” in trying to justify why customers can have whatever color they want, as long as it’s white, black, or a shade of gray. Infiniti said on Tuesday that they have a new color that is not white, black, or a shade of gray. Of course, it will be “extremely rare,” because let’s not get too out of control. But: Black Opal Metallic is what it’s called and it’ll be on some 2023 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400s.
The color of the car will change depending on lighting and view angle, Infiniti says. The color in the top photo, for example, looks green to my eye, while up close it looks more like a sparkly purple-ish green-ish black:
Photo: Infiniti
While in this photo it looks actually black, or dark purple.
Photo: Infiniti
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The color is inspired by opals, you might have guessed, which Infiniti informs me are “mineraloid formed from hydrated silica,” with the black versions most often found in Australia. This version of the Q50 will actually be called the Black Opal Edition, and the badges will be blacked out on the rear, too. A carbon spoiler, meanwhile, is intended to make the car more pleasant to look at.
The whole package will also be an extra $2,200, presuming you are good enough friends with your local Infiniti dealer to even get one of these rare and highly sought-after cars (at least one of those things is true.)
You might also remember the purple on a certain other car in Nissan history, which is very much intentional, as Infiniti says this purple is indeed Midnight Purple. The Q50, meanwhile, is still in its first generation, almost a decade old now. This new color is maybe trying to distract you from that, or maybe even hinting that a bigger update is around the corner.
Toyota says it still isn’t going to really boost production of its first mass-market electric vehicle for a few more years, Faraday Future is slashing salaries because the start-up EV maker is running out of cash, and Mercedes-Benz is the latest manufacturer to quit the Russian market. All that and more in The Morning Shift for Wednesday, October 26, 2022.
1st Gear: Toyota Needs Time to Boost bZ4x Production
Toyota is reportedly considering a huge jump in bZ4X production, but not before 2025. It’s said to be part of a broader strategy rethink from the Japanese company.
The automaker is mulling over the decision to increase production of its first mass-market EV by either six or 12 times its current monthly output. Right now that stands at about 1,000 cars per month. But, this isn’t happening overnight. The move would happen in 2025 if components (including semiconductors) can be secured in time. From Reuters:
The car is produced at Toyota Motor Corp’s Motomachi plant near its headquarters on a shared assembly line with gasoline cars and hybrids. Both the current and potential production numbers include those of the Subaru Corp Solterra, which is made on the same platform.
The increase would see Toyota add production at another plant near its headquarters, the Takaoka factory, said the three people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not public.
[…]
The potential ramp-up in production comes as the automaker has faced criticism for not moving faster to embrace all-electric cars and pushing hybrid technology instead. It has launched a review of its EV strategy, Reuters reported this week.
As part of that review – which could result in a more aggressive roadmap for future electric vehicles based on technologies that promise to lower cost and improve performance – it has also suspended development work on some of the 30 new EV models it announced last year and planned to launch by 2030, Reuters reported.
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Toyota recently restarted bZ4X production after a couple of recalls hampered it. At the peak of the planned production increase, Toyota would be producing over 190,000 EVs per years.
2nd Gear: Faraday’s Bleak Future
Faraday Future is reportedly slashing employee salaries by 25 percent starting next month. The move is being done in an effort to save some cash (since it is nearly out) while the company looks for new capital in order to finally launch the FF91.
In an email sent to employees last week, Faraday said the salary cuts expect to last from November 1st through the end of the year. Earlier this month, the company also laid off a few dozen employees. From Bloomberg:
Faraday has seen its cash reserves dwindle rapidly. It recently reported having $39 million in cash as of Sept. 21, down from around $47 million at the end of August.
The company said in the emailed memo, which was viewed by Bloomberg News, that employees will be granted restricted stock units, or RSUs, equivalent to the amount being cut from their salary and which will vest in December. Faraday also offered employees the option of taking a larger salary cut in exchange for more valuable RSUs, though it noted that any RSUs granted will be forfeited if the employee is terminated.
Faraday delayed the launch of its first vehicle until at least 2023. Things are not looking too hot for the Los Angeles-based company right now, though they never really have been.
3rd Gear: Mercedes-Benz Leaves Russia
Add Mercedes-Benz to a growing list of automakers who are pulling out of the Russian market. The company is reportedly selling shares in its industrial and financial service subsidiaries to a Russian investor: car dealer chain Avtodom. From Reuters:
Mercedes Chief Financial Officer Harald Wilhelm, while presenting third-quarter results, said the transaction was not expected to give rise to any further significant effects when it comes to the group’s profitability and financial position beyond those reported in previous quarters.
“Final completion of the transaction is subject to the authority’s approval and the implementation of contractually agreed conditions,” he added.
[…]
“The main priorities in agreeing to the terms of the transaction were to maximize the fulfillment of obligations to clients from Russia both in terms of after-sales services and financial services, as well as preserving jobs of employees at the Russian divisions of the company,” Natalia Koroleva, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Russia, said in a statement.
Mercedes suspended manufacturing in Russia in early March.
Mercedes now joins Volkswagen, Toyota, Nissan and Renault in leaving the Russian market. Other companies like Mazda and Kia are also considering moves out of the country.
4th Gear: $1 Billion for Busses
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it is allocating nearly $1 billion for about 400 school districts around the country to buy zero or low-emission school busses.
The funding will lead to the purchase of 2,463 buses. Over 95 percent of those will be electric, and a “very small number” will be powered by compressed natural gas. Another 100 will be propane-fueled buses. From The Detroit News:
School districts to receive funding were chosen through a lottery system and 99% of the projects are in districts serving low-income, rural or Indigenous students. EPA initially planned to allocate $500 million in the first round of funding, but the agency expanded it to nearly $1 billion after receiving “overwhelming demand” from districts.
Millions of children ride the bus to and from school every day, said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “It’s a quintessential part of being a kid in America.”
“But we all know that traditional vehicles that rely on internal combustion engines emit toxic pollutants in the air,” he added. Thanks to this funding, “we are forever transforming school bus fleets across the United States.”
Right now in the U.S., over 90 percent of all school buses run on diesel. The outlet reports that the $1 billion allocation is part of a more than $5 billion plan for zero and low-emission school buses though the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. A further $1 billion will be available next year.
School districts that applied and received funding will put in purchase orders with manufacturers, which will be paid directly by EPA, [Karl] Simon [director of the transportation and climate division of the EPA] said. That must be finished by April.
5th Gear: Hyundai’s EV Expansion Starts in Georgia
Hyundai broke ground Tuesday on its $5.54 billion electric vehicle and battery manufacturing project that will build vehicles for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
The factory — called the Metaplant — is set to build up to six different models and has the capacity to produce as many as 500,000 vehicles per year on its 2,800-acres of land located about 30 miles northwest of Savannah, Georgia. From Automotive News:
“We are making the current investment to get to 300,000 vehicles in phase one, and then 500,000,” Munoz said at a media roundtable after the groundbreaking ceremony.
[…]
Munoz did not say which models the Metaplant will produce, but a new three-row Hyundai EV crossover called the Ioniq 7 is expected to be the first. Munoz also said Hyundai is still examining what models it will export from the new plant.
The project also will see the construction of an adjacent battery plant that will be built through a joint venture with a battery supplier that Hyundai has not identified yet.
A new supply chain also will be established to support the EV factory, Munoz said.
Because of this move, Hyundai should be back in a position to for its buyers to get federal EV tax credits under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
Right now, Hyundai/Kia/Genesis EVs aren’t eligible for the credit because they are imported from Korea, and that doesn’t jive with the criteria laid out in the IRA.
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Nissan has right to buy back business within six years
Renault sees 331 mln euro hit to H2 net income from move
TOKYO, Oct 11 (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) will hand over its business in Russia to a state-owned entity for 1 euro ($0.97), it said on Tuesday, taking a loss of around $687 million in the latest costly exit from the country by a global company.
The Japanese automaker transfer its shares in Nissan Manufacturing Russia LLC to state-owned NAMI, it said. The deal will give Nissan the right to buy back the business within six years, Russia’s industry and trade ministry said.
The deal makes Nissan the latest major company to leave Russia since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February. It also mirrors a move by Nissan’s top shareholder, French automaker Renault (RENA.PA), which sold its majority stake in Russian carmaker Avtovaz (AVAZI_p.MM) to a Russian investor in May.
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The sale to NAMI will include Nissan’s production and research facilities in St Petersburg as well as its sales and marketing centre in Moscow, the ministry said.
Nissan said it expected an extraordinary loss of around 100 billion yen ($687 million), but maintained its earnings forecast for the financial year ending in March.
Renault, which owns 43% of Nissan, estimated the decision by its Japanese partner would lead to a 331 million euro hit to its net income for the second half of 2022.
Nissan had suspended production at its St. Petersburg plant in March due to supply chain disruptions. Since then, the company and its local unit had been monitoring the situation, it said. But there was “no visibility” of a change to the external environment, Nissan said, prompting it to decide to exit.
Junior alliance partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) is also considering exiting Russia, the Nikkei newspaper said. A spokesperson for Mitsubishi said nothing had been decided.
The exit comes as Nissan has embarked on a major shift in its relationship with Renault. The two said on Monday they were in talks about the future of their alliance, including Nissan considering investing in a new electric vehicle venture by Renault.
Those talks, which could prompt the biggest reset in the alliance since the 2018 arrest of long-time executive Carlos Ghosn, have also included the possibility of Renault selling some of its controlling stake in Nissan, two people with knowledge of the talks have told Reuters.
Renault reportedly sold its stake in Avtovaz for one rouble ($0.02).
The Nissan deal was “of great significance for the industry,” Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in a statement.
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Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov, Caleb Davis and Satoshi Sugiyama; Writing by Alexander Marrow and David Dolan; Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter
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Oct 8 (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) is pressing French partner Renault SA (RENA.PA) to cut its stake in the Japanese automaker as much as possible, ideally to 15%, and may consider raising funds to buy back the shares, a source familiar with the matter said.
The demands were made in exchange for Nissan agreeing to invest in Renault’s new unit being set up to house its electric vehicle (EV) assets, said the source, who sought anonymity as the talks are not public.
Renault owns about 43% of Nissan, which wants its French ally to wind down the stake to 15%, drawing level with Nissan’s share in the alliance partner, the source said.
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The stake sale would not affect their business alliance and Nissan may need to raise funds to buy the shares back from Renault, the source added.
A Nissan spokesperson declined to comment. Renault did not immediately reply to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The stake selldown talks were first reported by the Wall Street Journal and news agency Bloomberg said Renault was open to reducing its stake in Nissan, citing people familiar with the talks.
Renault is pushing ahead with plans to split its EV and combustion engine businesses in a bid to catch up with rivals such as Tesla (TSLA.O) and Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) in the race to cleaner driving.
It expects to unveil a detailed blueprint for the new EV entity at a capital markets day this autumn.
As the negotiations intensify, Renault’s Chief Executive Luca de Meo is set to attend Sunday’s Formula 1 race in Suzuka, giving him an opportunity to speak with his Nissan counterpart, Makoto Uchida, another source said.
This weekend’s talks are unlikely to yield concrete results, the first source said, but negotiations could bring a deal before Nov. 8, when de Meo plans to present an update of his strategy.
Alliance partners Nissan and Mitsubishi (7211.T) have not yet said whether they will take part in Renault’s future EV unit.
The source said Mitsubishi was also considering taking a single-digit percent stake in Renault’s EV unit.
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Reporting by Maki Shiraki and Satoshi Sugiyama in Tokyo, Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Gilles Guillaume in Paris; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Ana Nicolaci da Costa
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In 2010 the automotive industry was introduced to the Nissan Leaf. As one of the first widely available EVs on the market, it helped a new generation of electric cars succeed. After 11 years and two generations, Nissan is beginning to close the curtain on this pioneering EV. As the market of electric vehicles continues to evolve, the Nissan Leaf was a model left on the outside looking in.
One of the big reasons that the Nissan Leaf was such a revolution was its design. In many ways, the design divided onlookers, but it’s hard to disagree that it was eye-catching. Early models were bulbous and funky, with more recent models being much sleeker. Despite that, when it all came together, the Nissan Leaf looked exactly what shoppers thought an EV would look like. Quirky and futuristic.
Helping to create a more efficient future
2011 Nissan Leaf | Nissan
Before the release of the Nissan Leaf, electric cars seemed like something from the distant future. The technology was certainly there, but no automaker had fully figured out how to harness it. Nissan took a stab at it and created an EV for most shoppers. While early models had lackluster range and performance, it was clear that Nissan was onto something special. Within a few years, more automakers were throwing their hat into the ring of EVs.
As the Nissan Leaf evolved, a more powerful and longer-lasting battery system was one of the most welcome changes. Starting in 2016, the Nissan Leaf was offered an upgraded 30 kWh battery that increased the range to 107 miles. But, the biggest change came with the 2017 model year, which increased the range to 149 miles and 226 miles with the upgraded battery.
With the huge increases available, this EV became one of the top choices for shoppers looking for affordable and widely-available electric cars.
Despite the advances, this EV just couldn’t catch on
2018 Nissan Leaf | Nissan
Nissan aimed to create an EV that was perfect for the masses. In many ways, it did that, but because of the brand’s stiff competition, this electric car became an afterthought. With all this in mind, Car and Driver is reporting that Nissan plans to phase out the Nissan Leaf in the next few years. This comes as a result of Nissan not selling enough models. Over its lifetime, Nissan has sold just around 175,000 models, which has not met the high goals that the brand set for itself.
Another big reason the Nissan Leaf found itself behind the competition is its driving experience. From the beginning, this EV was plagued by a sluggish driving experience. While the initial acceleration was acceptable, the rest of the powerband left quite a bit to be desired. Because of this, competitors soon were able to pass this EV, both literally and figuratively.
An end to a model that shifted the view of electric vehicles
2022 Nissan Leaf | Nissan
Adopting electric vehicles in the U.S. would have taken a bit longer without the Nissan Leaf. The small hatchback helped drivers understand why an EV is a smart investment. The chance to enjoy an all-electric vehicle can help you want more adventures confidently and keep you saving money on your drives.
With the Nissan Leaf getting ready to take its last rounds and bow out, it’s worth remembering its impact on the EV market.
RELATED: Is Buying a Used 2018 Nissan Leaf Worth It?
To launch over 30 battery EVs based on 5 platforms – sources
Targets compact EVs as cheap as gasoline cars by 2025 – sources
Jan 23 (Reuters) – Renault SA (RENA.PA), Nissan Motor Co and Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) plan to triple their investment to jointly develop electric vehicles (EVs), two people with knowledge of the plan told Reuters.
As established automakers face pressure from new competitors and an expected shift in demand toward EVs, the French-Japanese alliance is seeking to deepen cooperation.
The three are expected to announce on Thursday a plan to invest more than 20 billion euros ($23 billion) over the next five years on EV development, the sources said. By 2030, the alliance is expected to come up with more than 30 new battery EVs underpinned by five common platforms, they said.
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That is in addition to 10 billion euros the group has already spent on electrification, said the two people with knowledge of the plan.
A Nissan spokesperson declined to “comment on speculation”. Spokespeople for Renault and Mitsubishi did not respond to requests for comment.
The “Alliance to 2030” plan aims to show “intensified cooperation” among the automakers, highlighting a “shared vision on electrification and connected mobility,” one source said. The five common platforms are expected to cover 90% of EVs the companies are expected to develop and launch by 2030, the sources said.
The three-firm alliance has developed and partly deployed four common EV platforms.
One underpins EVs such as Nissan’s upcoming Ariya and Renault’s Megane EV, and another supports affordable no-frills cars by Nissan and its China market partner Dongfeng, as well as for Renault’s Dacia brand. The other two are platforms for micro minis, called “kei cars” in Japan, and light commercial vehicles.
By mid-decade, the alliance aims to deploy a fifth common platform for compact EVs designed by Renault, the sources said.
Nissan has already decided to use this platform, called CMFB-EV, and other standardised components to electrify the Nissan Micra compact car, while Renault is expected to come up with a similar EV car based on the same platform, the sources said. The Micra EV is projected to be released by the mid-2020s.
AFFORDABLE EVs
The logo of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is seen ahead of a Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi chiefs’ joint news conference in Yokohama, Japan, March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
The automakers hope to make compact EVs as affordable as gasoline-fuelled vehicles of similar size, the sources said.
The automakers are expected to use common batteries and other key components. The alliance plans to jointly invest in capacity to produce in France, Britain, China and Japan a total of 220 gigawatt hours of battery capacity by 2030 under the plan, the sources said.
By standardising and sharing batteries, the alliance expects to halve battery manufacturing costs, they said.
The alliance is also expected to share solid-state lithium-ion battery technology, which Nissan has been developing, they said.
The plan had been for the leaders of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi to announce the 2030 plan last autumn at an event in Japan, but the announcement was postponed until this week because of a surge in COVID-19 in Japan, the sources said.
A disagreement between Nissan and Renault over the French firm’s proposals for a full-blown merger – tensions that burst into the open with the arrest of former alliance leader Carlos Ghosn in 2018 – corresponded with stalled efforts to collaborate on technology and vehicle development, people with knowledge of the matter have said.
The three automakers all have their own hybrid technologies with few shared key parts and systems. The limited cooperation in sourcing and development has raised concern within the group about the ability to achieve cost savings, one source said.
It was not immediately clear whether alliance leaders will discuss hybrids as part of their 2030 plan.
Nissan said in November it planned to spend some $18 billion over five years to accelerate vehicle electrification, launching 23 electrified vehicles – including gasoline-electric hybrids – by 2030, including 15 EVs. Half of Nissan’s vehicle mix will be electrified by 2030, including EVs and e-Power hybrids, the company said.
Renault has said its Renault brand will be 100% electric in Europe by 2030, but company officials told Reuters the target does not apply to markets outside Europe and the group’s other brands, such as Dacia.
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Reporting By Norihiko Shirouzu in Beijing; Editing by William Mallard and Kevin Krolicki
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The theme at the upcoming Rebelle Rally seems to be retro this year. Nissan has joined Mitsubishi in yearning for the glory days with its own throwback livery that the carmaker’s team, Wild Grace, will run on their 2022 Frontier Pro-4x. It’s a decent attempt to stir up good memories but it really just makes me miss the Nissan Hardbody that much more.
The Toyota Pickup usually gets all the attention when we consider old-school, (truly) compact pickups, but I think the Hardbody is easily just as cool. Its squared-off, stubby hood and low slung headlights gave the little truck a bit of an attitude, even with those big, friendly lights. And when the Hardbody wears its colorful rally livery, it’s just glorious!
Photo: Nissan
The colors remind me of the Bronco 4600, which was another attempt at paying homage, but from Ford. I said it then; I’ll say it now. Chrome wheels are overdue for a comeback. Nissan’s champion Hardbody just provides more proof that you can’t just wrap an off-roader in bold, primary colors and then mute its lower half with black or dark-colored wheels! And while we’re at it, why aren’t painted bumpers a thing? Holy shit, look at that blue bumper.
The ’22 Frontier is a vastly more capable machine, but next to the Hardbody it just looks boring. The following is what Nissan threw on its new rally-running pickup to set it apart from its stock Pro-4X counterparts, and to beef it up for the competition:
You can catch the new Frontier ripping up the rally stage starting on October 7. The competition will run for eight days, and will cover more than 1,500 miles of desert in Arizona, California and Nevada. Follow it here.
For the first time since 2008, the automotive world has been introduced to a new member of Nissan’s Z-car lineage. The all-new 2023 Nissan Z ditches the numerical nomenclature of its predecessors and promises to be the best-performing iteration of the nameplate yet.
The new Z has some stiff competition. If you’re in the market for a front-engine, rear-drive, two-door performance car, the Z is just one of many machines you might consider. We’ve compiled some information on how the Z stands up to every sports coupe on the market today.
A Potent Powertrain
As had been suggested for months, the Z is powered by a twin-turbocharged DOHC 3.0-liter V-6 engine—specifically, Nissan’s VR30DDTT motor, found in the Infiniti Q50 and Q60. In the Z, this engine will crank out 400 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque.
That’s pretty much neck-and-neck with the 382 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque you get in the Toyota Supra. The Supra also utilizes a 3.0-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder, though the Toyota’s B58 engine is an inline unit, sourced from BMW.
Both cars are overshadowed by the BMW M2 however. Thanks to that car’s turbocharged 3.0-liter N55 inline-six, the M2 packs 405 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque.
The Z’s 400 hp may be enough to embarrass the likes of the 181-hp, 151 lb-ft Mazda MX-5 Miata, and it handily outstrips the 2022 Toyota GR 86, which got a healthy power boost to 228-hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. But it’s not quite on par with what Detroit offers. The Mustang GT packs 460 hp from its 5.0-liter V-8, while the Chevrolet Camaro SS produces 455 hpfrom its 6.2-liter V-8. The Dodge Challenger R/T is good for 375 hp with the 5.7-liter Hemi, while the optional 6.4-liter 392 V-8 brings 485 hp for only a bit more cash.
Huseyin Erturk
A Proper Gearbox
Power output only tells part of the Z’s story. Thankfully for the sports-car faithful, Nissan has decided to offer a standard manual transmission in the new Z. Nissan says the close-ratio six-speed gearbox has been specifically designed with sporty driving in mind. The clutch is an Exedy high-performance unit, and active rev-matching and a launch control system are standard.
The addition of a manual is always welcomed in today’s automotive market, and represents a distinct advantage over the Supra. In fact, the Supra is the only vehicle we’ve discussed so far that does not offer an H-pattern gearbox. If you prefer two pedals, Nissan will also offer the Z with a nine-speed automatic with paddle shifting. Customers can even spec the paddles from the Nissan GT-R as an option. How this gearbox compares to the Supra’s eight-speed automatic transmission will have to be seen.
Huseyin Erturk
Performance Hardware
As we all expected, the new Z will arrive with a suite of performance hardware on deck. That starts with the suspension, double wishbones up front and multi-link in the back. The system is bolstered with a front strut-tower brace and large diameter hollow stabilizer bars at both ends. The suspension itself seems to be a step up from the Supra, which uses a strut-type front suspension. The Supra also employs a multi-link rear, and both cars come with four-piston brake calipers. The Z has an optional Nissan Sport Brake package with 14-inch front rotors and 13.8-inch rears. The GR Supra, by comparison, packs 13.7-inch front rotors and 13-inch rears.
The Z will also be available with a mechanical limited-slip differential, whereas the Toyota’s limited-slip is electronically controlled. That should help the Nissan feel a bit more old school than some of its competitors, but that isn’t always a bad thing. Besides, the Miata has retained a mechanical LSD differential into the current decade.
Further bolstering the car’s performance, the Z will also be available with Bridgestone Potenza S007 performance tires, an upgrade over the standard Yokohama Advan Sports, but not quite the same level as the Supra’s Michelin Pilot Super Sports.
Huseyin Erturk
Similar Size, Similar Price.
The Z itself is relatively close in size to the Supra, which means it’s quite a bit smaller than the American alternatives. The Nissan’s wheelbase measures in at 100.4 inches, with a total length of 172.4 inches. The Supra has a much shorter wheelbase, just 97.2 inches, but measures the exact same overall length. The Z is 72.6 inches wide and 51.8 inches tall, while the Supra is 73.4 inches wide and 51.0 inches tall.
As with size, the Z runs close to the Supra on price. Nissan tells R&T that the new sports car will start at around $40,000, though exact pricing and details won’t be be available until Spring 2022 when the car goes on sale. For reference, the Supra starts at $43,190 with the 2.0-liter inline-four, though you need to pony up $51,540 to get the 3.0-liter six. That’s a large gap in pricing and performance, and one that may make the Z more attractive to sports-car buyers. Of course, not everything is priced like the Toyota. The MX-5 starts at just $26,830, while a Challenger R/T Scat Pack is $41,070.
So it seems like the Z sits right in the middle of the pack—a viable stretch option for Miata and GR 86 buyers, a more affordable alternative to the Supra and the V-8 muscle cars. That in itself makes the Z the kind of vehicle we’ve been waiting for.
Huseyin Erturk
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There are cars that snag all of the headlines and popularity while others that languish in obscurity, despite being worth a look. What is the most underrated car on sale today?
I like to think of an underrated car as a car that’s good, but buyers either don’t see its true potential or it doesn’t get the popularity that other models do. Our office Slack discussion brought up many potential examples from the Kia Stinger and Nissan Leaf to the Toyota Avalon. But I don’t think a car like the Kia Stinger really fits here because that thing was all the rage when it came out.
Our Editor-In-Chief, Rory, voted the Hyundai Veloster N as the most underrated car on sale today. It actually makes a lot of sense!
Here’s a hot little hatch that’s so good that Road & Track bestowed the car with its Performance Car of the Year award. It beat out tough competition from the likes of the Nissan GT-R, Toyota Supra, Lotus Evora, Lamborghini Huracan Evo and more to get that honor.
It’s a car that comes in an awesome shade of blue, makes 275 HP from a turbocharged inline-four, gets close to 30 mpg on the highway and costs just a smidge over $32,000. The Veloster N just hits all of the right notes.
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And yet, Hyundai only sold 2,212 examples in 2019, tiny numbers compared to the competition.
Honorable mention goes to the Ford Transit Connect. This was a vehicle I never thought too much about. They seem to be favored by flower shops and delivery drivers in my area. But one reader, i86hotdogs, is often in the comments of posts showing off what his Transit Connect can do at RallyCross events. Forget flower deliveries, the Transit Connect is a rally car with the body of a van!
