Nissan’s CEO Discusses Z Proto, Gets behind the Wheel of the Prototype
Makoto Uchida drives the Z Proto and shares his thoughts on the striking prototype.
Last month, Nissan unveiled the Z Proto which will eventually be introduced as a successor to the 370Z sports car that has been in production since 2009. The Japanese car manufacturer is prepping Z Proto to hit the production line and the sports car based on the prototype might be called 400Z.
Z Proto is a vital part of the Nissan NEXT transformation plan and it also happens to be a model that Makoto Uchida was keen to drive. Uchida is a Z car fan himself and took over as Nissan’s Chief Executive Officer after Carlos Ghosn had to step down from the position. The CEO recently interacted with Nissan’s Chief Product Specialist, Hiroshi Tamura, and the company’s Senior Vice President Global Design, Alfonso Albaisa.
The trio can be seen discussing various aspects of the prototype in a video that was posted on Nissan’s Global YouTube channel. Uchida also got a chance to get behind the wheel of the Z Proto and was quite impressed by the sports car’s performance.
Z Proto sports a radical and futuristic design that features styling elements that also pay homage to iconic Z cars of yesteryears like the 300ZX (Z32) and first-generation Z (S30). Albaisa confirms that 240Z’s design inspired Z Proto’s overall silhouette. The car’s low rear-end was designed to emulate a pouncing gesture when seen in relation to the elongated hood. The hood’s design is a modern reproduction of 240Z’s “Ironing board” shape which incorporates a swelling bulge in the middle.
Under the hood, Nissan has equipped the Z Proto with a twin-turbocharged V6 powerplant which is offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Z Proto’s front-end has been designed to incorporate a large square-ish grille to facilitate the kind of airflow demanded by the V6 engine’s twin-turbo system.
Inside the cabin, a three-dial gauge cluster sits in the middle of the dashboard atop a large touchscreen infotainment system. The steering wheel also gets a new deep dish design and sports a large ‘Z’ badge. A 12.3-inch digital instrument display sits behind the steering wheel and contrasting yellow accents can be found all over the interior. It is quite likely that Z Proto’s will enter production without any drastic design changes.
Giving Z Proto his badge of approval Uchida said, “it’s fantastic. I really enjoyed it.”