Nissan hasn’t offered an open-top Z since the 370Z Convertible bowed out after 2020. That could change, with the automaker teasing a T-top version of its latest sports car this week at the ZCON gathering in Phoenix, Arizona, where it unveiled the stunning Z Kaze Concept.
Although the Kaze is strictly a one-off built as a showpiece for the annual gathering of Z fans, a senior official has revealed that Nissan is also using it to gauge whether there’s enough interest to put a T-top version into production.
Fans Need To Get Vocal
Nissan Z Kaze ConceptNissan
Speaking to The Drive, Nissan’s chief planning officer for North America, Ponz Pandikuthira, said that if fans really want a Z with a T-top roof back in production, they’ll need to let Nissan know. If enough of them do, he said, Nissan will absolutely build it.
“It’s a concept, we’re playing with something, but if it gets well received from the public we’re gonna make that car happen.”
– Ponz Pandikuthira, Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America
There have been T-top Zs before. The design uses two removable roof panels separated by a central bar, allowing drivers to enjoy an open-air experience while retaining some of the roof structure for added rigidity. Nissan first offered it as an option on the 280ZX in the early 1980s, and it became practically standard on the two generations of 300ZX that followed. The automaker switched to a full convertible roof with the arrival of the 350Z in the early 2000s and kept it for the following 370Z, but dropped it with the latest Z.
Is A Modern Z T-Top Realistic?
Nissan Z Kaze ConceptNissan
The latest Z is already steeped in retro goodness, with its tail lamps and their black surrounds serving as an unabashed riff on the second-generation 300ZX’s design, so reviving the T-top wouldn’t be completely out of line. However, mainstream sports cars are already a niche, with Z sales in the US, its biggest market, registering just 5,487 units last year. Considering that any T-top version would account for only a fraction of those sales, that would make it a niche within a niche.
Normally, automakers can afford to make such low-volume variants when they can use them to build brand image or attract attention to a model. Nissan, however, is in the middle of a major turnaround plan, one that has the automaker focused on cutting costs, streamlining its lineup, and concentrating development on more profitable areas. Over the past two years, the company has closed plants and canceled multiple models, and these measures, though painful, have already helped the automaker to return to profitability after years of running major losses.
CarBuzz Insights – Why This Matters
Nissan Z Kaze ConceptNissan
Given Nissan’s financial position and the Z’s relatively low sales volume, the chances of something like the Z Kaze actually reaching production look slim. That doesn’t mean the automaker is giving up on exciting products, though. Nissan is planning to revive some of its most cherished nameplates, starting with a new Xterra off-roader and even a modern Skyline sports sedan, as part of a broader strategy to leverage its heritage while giving buyers something new to get excited about.
And those might not be the only nameplates getting a second look. Nissan has hinted that more heritage-inspired models are in the pipeline, including the potential return of the Silvia as a modern sports car. If the automaker really wants to prove that its heritage can still sell cars, however, giving the Z its T-top back would be a pretty good place to start.
Source: The Drive
