Nissan to scrap 370Z for shock Sport utility vehicle

Nissan will abandon its powerful, rear-wheel drive 370Z coupe with a small sporty SUV, a report published by British magazine, Autocar has said.

Said to be unveiled as early as next month at the Frankfurt motor show, the new Z-badged SUV follows well-publicised plans to downsize the 370Z to a cheaper, simpler turbocharged four-cylinder coupe, possibly based on the iDx coupe that was revealed at the 2013 Tokyo motor show.
But now those plans appear to have been scrapped.

Nissan has not yet confirmed the news it will replace the 370Z with a small crossover but earlier this year its chief creative officer announced in an interview that the was ready to rethink a replacement for the Z coupe.

According to the insider, the new Z SUV will be based on the latest Renault-Nissan Alliance’s CMF B platform and similar size to the Nissan JUKE.

Instead of overhauling the current car’s 245kW/363Nm 3.7-litre V6 the new Z car is expected to be available with the 162kW/260Nm 1.6-litre turbo that’s currently used in the Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy.

Like that car it’s expected to come with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic ‘box (this time with all-wheel drive), although the concept car revealed at Frankfurt is more likely to feature an advanced plug-in hybrid powertrain.