Nissan 370Z convertible going away for 2020, coupe’s future uncertain

With 10 years of production and little news about a successor model, there have been plenty of rumors about the future of Nissan’s 370Z. For now, we know that Nissan is killing the convertible version of the company’s two-seat sports car, and that could leave the coupe’s future uncertain. Last month at the New York International Auto Show, Hiroshi Tamura, chief product specialist for Nissan’s Nismo racing and performance group, would not confirm if the company is planning another generation of either Nissan’s entry-level sports car or the GT-R supercar. Now, a Nissan spokesman has told Motor Authority that the automaker “will not offer the Roadster variant for the current-generation Z beginning with model year 2020.”

The current 370Z is getting a bit long in the tooth, dating back to the 2009 model year. Nissan has kept some interest in the car alive by releasing special editions, like the 50th anniversary edition just introduced at the NY show. The lack of investment may help explain why the Z, particularly the base coupe with stick shift, is a relative bargain at $30,985, but currently sells only about 200 units a month in the U.S. That’s about 15 percent of the volume Nissan dealers moved when the model was introduced in 2009.

Tamura said that the future of Nissan’s sports cars will be determined by consumers. If that’s the case, an annual sales rate of ~2400 units doesn’t bode well for a new Z car.