More than 1000 Australians have put money down at a dealer for a new Nissan Z – before first shipments go on sale here in the middle of 2022 and before the price is made public.
The circa 1000 money-down reservations come from a pool of 3000-odd people who lodged “expressions of interest”. The amount deposited varies depending on the dealer.
Nissan Australia also confirmed that it would reveal pricing for its new cult hero next week.
2023 Nissan Z at the Australian HQ this week
“Since the car has been globally launched I would say we’ve been extremely excited about the enthusiasm we’ve had for it here in Australia,” Nissan’s local managing director Adam Paterson told us this week.
When we asked Mr Paterson how much money the 1000-plus initial order holders had put down, he responded that it varied by dealer.
Assuming most of those who placed deposits follow through, you can expect some pretty lengthy wait times. Mr Paterson did not comment when asked for some detail on the supply situation, specifically around how many months or even years of supply 1000 units represented.
Nissan has yet to specify its plans around supplying its national dealers with Z stock, and whether it’ll attempt to limit dealer markups, or speculators buying then on-selling at a profit.
Numerous manufacturers have had to contend with providing the market with high-demand niche products lately: examples coming to mind span from the Suzuki Jimny, to the similarly popular (relative to supply) Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR Yaris, and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
“Waiting for product is something that’s becoming a new reality for Australians, regardless of brand,” Mr Paterson said, in a different context, speaking about Nissan supply more generally.
“I’d love to tell our dealer partners that there wasn’t any volatility from a production and supply standpoint. [But] there is definitely volatility, and we’re far from through any supply challenges.”
One possible way to secure your Z amongst the huge demand is to go for the two-pedal automatic model, with Nissan stating around 70 per cent of initial demand is for the manual gearbox – something that took it by surprise.
The new Nissan Z will lob with a single trim level to go on sale – alongside a limited-edition Z Proto Spec flagship. These versions are billed as “the ultimate expression of the new Nissan Z”, though we’d place a bet Nismo would have a few things to say about this…
The Nissan Z sits on a revised version of the 370Z’s rear-wheel drive bones and uses the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 putting out 298kW of power and 475Nm of torque.
The enthusiast’s gearbox is a six-speed close-ratio manual with an Exedy high-performance clutch and carbon-fibre composite drive shaft. It has an automated rev-matching function. The auto is a new nine-speed unit paired with aluminium paddle shifters.
All Nissan Zs have a mechanical limited-slip differential and launch control as standard equipment.
Standard features on the single permanent launch variant will include leather-accented seats, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 12.3-inch TFT digital instrument cluster with three distinct display modes.
It’ll also come standard with Active Noise Cancellation to filter out tyre drone and wind noise, and Active Sound Enhancement to amplify the engine soundtrack inside the cabin.
For more Nissan Z content check out some of our features linked below.
MORE: 2022 Nissan Z: ‘Extreme’ Aussie demand, mostly for the manual
MORE: 2022 is the year of reborn Japanese sports cars
MORE: 2023 Nissan Z designer debrief
MORE: 2023 Nissan Z confirmed for Australia
MORE: Nissan Z won’t set the sales charts alight… and that’s alright
MORE: 2023 Nissan Z design is a love letter to existing owners and fans
MORE: Nissan Z styling will influence other models from 2023 onwards
