Nissan Z sports car could still come to the UK

It’s been a good few years since Nissan unveiled its latest Z sports car, and plenty of petrolheads are still reeling over the fact that the Japanese brand didn’t bring it to our shores. However, after an exclusive conversation with Jordi Vila, Nissan Europe’s divisional vice president of sales and marketing, Auto Express can reveal that all hope is not lost. 

Vila told us, “Nissan Z is different in that it has a community worldwide. We expect a continuation of the combustion-engined Z cars, and we’re still mulling over how to bring them to the UK and Europe.”

It’s pretty safe to say that the Nissan Z, with its 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6, is a bit of a dinosaur in the eyes of the emissions regulators, and with the much tougher Euro 7 regulations looming, the brand’s engineers face an increasingly uphill struggle to hit the necessary targets. However, with a niche performance car like this, the solution isn't as simple as fitting an alternative engine. 

“It’s not realistic that we’d have a different powertrain only for Europe.” explained Vila. “It’d be the existing powertrain that’s been adapted for European regulations. We are currently studying the different configurations, but if this did result in a power reduction, it would only be minor.”

Nissan has recently performed a series of upgrades to the Z, with the facelifted models set to arrive elsewhere around the world this summer. Headlining the revamped line-up will be a Nismo variant, which places an even greater focus on driver engagement with tweaks such as a sharper engine response, improved torque delivery and weight reduction measures. 

Even if the new Nismo never makes it to the UK, the arrival of the regular Nissan Z would still present UK buyers with the increasingly rare opportunity to purchase a two-door, rear-wheel-drive coupe with a six-speed manual gearbox. 

However, while this will certainly be an exciting prospect in the eyes of many car enthusiasts, there’s still the question of how much more time and resource Nissan is willing to invest in a car that’s advancing in years and unlikely to sell in great numbers over here. 

The UK market is generally far more profitable for manufacturers who are cashing in on huge demand for mainstream cars such as SUVs and electric cars. While Nissan is indeed part of this more sensible world with models like the Qashqai and Ariya, it’s doubtful that the brand’s bosses will want to squander too much of its profits on what would be quite a big gamble.

However, if the Z does hit UK showrooms, it won’t face much competition. The lower end of the sports coupe market has dwindled, with the Toyota GR86 and GR Supra being two notable recent departures. In contrast, the Honda Prelude is a new arrival onto the scene, but it is arguably more oriented towards day-to-day comfort and touring whereas the Nissan’s focus is on analogue driver engagement.

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