Will Dr. Z Help Build a New Z? Nissan/Mercedes-Benz Rumor Points To a New Nissan Sports Car

The Nissan Z-car has died once before — in 1996, only to return in 2003 as the 350Z. It’s been suggested that the Z will go the way of the Mitsubishi Eclipse and become yet another crossover. But a rumor out of Japan links Nissan with Mercedes-Benz for a new Z, possibly in time for the model’s 50th Anniversary in 2019/2020.

The Japanese site response.jp (thanks, Google Translate) has posted a rendering of the potential new sports car, showing the company’s corporate V-motion grille lined with LED strips, and a long hood that harkens back to the traditional proportions of the original 240Z.

Any news of the Z returning as a proper sports car instead of a crossover that trades heritage for blandness ( Eclipse Cross, Ford Mach 1) is welcome news indeed.

Curiously, the render uses the C-pillar kink typically found on Nissan’s Infiniti brand. I struggle to imagine this making it to production. So does Ben Hsu of Japanese Nostalgic Car, who notes that it would be “..incredibly odd for the Z to have what is a uniquely Infiniti design cue.”

Whether Nissan cares to completely redesign a vehicle that moved only 4,614 units last year is yet to be determined. Nissan’s Chief Planning Officer, Philipe Klein, noted in January that “there is a lot of passion people [have for] this vehicle, but [the Z] is in a segment that is gradually declining, so that is making the [business] case more difficult.”

When reached for comment, Dan Bedore, director of Nissan’s North American communications, responded, “The Nissan Z is an iconic nameplate. We appreciate the excitement and interest in its future among Z fans and other automotive enthusiasts. We have not announced any plans beyond the 2018 model year Nissan 370Z and, as a matter of policy, do not engage in speculation about future product plans.”

However, response.jp notes that Nissan executives have watched the partnership between Toyota and BMW blossom into the new Supra concept with envy. The existing partnership between Nissan and Mercedes-Benz could yield similar results from another Japanese/German tieup.

Possible powerplants for the new Z include Mercedes-Benz’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo found in the QX30 and Q50, as well as the 400 hp twin-turbo V6 found in the Q60 Red Sport. That long hood, however, hints at another option — the inline six found in the new Mercedes-AMG 53 models (and possibly in a new Aston Martin).

After all, the original 240Z used an inline-six, the L24 — itself a development of a Mercedes-Benz design licensed by Prince Motors for the original Skyline.

[Images: response.jp , Corey Lewis/TTAC, Chris Tonn]