Nissan prepares the new 370Z that will leave the V6 engine behind in favour of a "turbocharged four-cylinder"

The new generation of the Nissan 370Z would not be ready before 2014, with its commercial debut continuing into 2015, according to Shiro Nakamura, the brand’s chief design officer. The concept is therefore already under study and would feature a number of technical novelties, among them the elimination of the V6 engine.

A great deal has been said about what Nissan should do so that the 370Z can appeal to a wider audience. It may not be a bad car or a deportivo lacking character, but it is not a favourite of the masses; it cannot break out beyond its modest sales in Japan and the USA. Nakamura believes that adopting a turbocharged four-cylinder engine would not only take the model down the downsizing path, but also appeal to more people, perhaps attracted by a lower price.

For the same reason that Nissan needs the 370Z to fulfil for them the role currently played by the Toyota GT-86 or the Subaru BRZ, the new model would be a little smaller and certainly lighter than the current one, very much in the style of the veteran 240SX. Once again, the premise is to make the 370Z more accessible to the general public, who would never have considered it in previous generations of the model.

The problem for Nissan will arise when fans of the American and Japanese brand resist losing almost 200 horsepower in favour of a four-cylinder engine. But there is no doubt that Nissan must make some move with the current generation of coupés to attract more buyers, and that such a move will have to be very daring. Will the people at Infiniti have anything to say on the matter, given some models that share the same platform as the 370Z?

Via | Inside Line