In an earlier article, we reported that although Nissan has looked closely at the market viability of the Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ trio, it has ultimately decided not to follow suit with an all-new front-engine rear-wheel-drive coupe to compete in the category. Rather, the next-generation Nissan 370Z will receive a downsized engine and fall slightly down market to better position its price to improve accessibility for a greater number of enthusiasts.
Now, Motor Trend has reported that the executives at Nissan have finally answered the pleas of the many Nissan loyalists: a compact sports car has been given the green light after all! Dubbed the Mini-Z, the future sport compact will not be an FR sports car. Rather, it will be a front-wheel-drive based car that Nissan is confident to aim squarely at the FR-S/BRZ anyway.
Plans for the Mini-Z were first revealed last year during the Shanghai Auto Show in the form of the "Compact Sports Concept." Little details were known about the concept at the time, but the company claimed that it will be a unique sports car for drivers in emerging markets that lead active lifestyles. While the statement is suspiciously polished and PR friendly, it's hard not to get excited about what Nissan has in store.
Renderings depict the Mini-Z not in a coupe body style like the FR-S/BRZ, but in rather more "hot hatch" body style instead. Industry insiders even suggested that an AWD version will be available for the Mini-Z as well, likely based on the Juke's torque vectoring system.
According to Motor Trend, much of the Mini-Z's architecture will be based on the Nissan Juke crossover, including the Juke based 1.6 liter turbocharged four cylinder engine that is expected to push 190 hp. Nissan also claims that this engine will have a wider torque band as well as stronger mid-range and top-end response compared to the FR-S/BRZ.
Given Nissan's relationship with Renault, it's easy to assume that a bit of Renaultsport Megane DNA could possibly find its way into Nissan's latest sport compact. However, Nissan intends for its new project to primarily spearhead the Chinese market rather than the European one. In turn, development of the Mini-Z is a joint effort between Japan and China specifically for design and data assembly.
While we are confident that the Mini-Z will be a global vehicle, distribution in the U.S. market has yet to be confirmed. Anticipate Nissan's sport compact to debut near the end of 2013.
Although we're excited to see Nissan return to the sport compact market, do you think Nissan has made the right approach? Let us know!
Check out a gallery of rendered images of the Nissan Compact Sports Concept below:
