2022 Nissan Z

[F1 Silver Arrows]

The roof line? That’s not a design, that’s an outline.

Vents being fake are one thing but the one on the door is ridiculous and serves literally no purpose besides cluttering the side of the car. This combined with the shoulder line that misses the hood line in the fender is a giant eye roll. I could go on and on.

Seen one in person? I just said I think they look cool when they drive pass lol. I have a few buddies with them and have even waxed one so I more than familiar with the all the shapes of the car to make an opinion.

I think the car looks cool but I think a huge part of this is that the car is brand new and shiny which adds to the wow factor.

Edit responding to your edit: it’s not that I dont like aggressive design, it’s that the design has absolutely no flow to it which results in a series of lumps.

Not the roofline, I mentioned from the front of the hood to the C pillar window. :^)

As for your other points, fair enough. The A90 GR Supra was modelled after the Toyota FT-1 concept which was extreme to no end and didn't have any clean straight lines. Personally this isn't that important for me but I do notice that a lot of car enthusiasts are purists in this regard where they love some simple straight lines from the front to the back of the car.

The thing is by taking a look at any modern Japanese car, especially the GR Supra, one can tell it's 100% Japanese. It's a shape-shifter. The Lexus LC500 is famous for this as well. It's like as if all modern Japanese design follow this design philosophy. To reiterate what I previously said, by having a slight glance at any modern Japanese car it's obvious that it's a product of Japan, and that, to me, is special. Japanese automakers as a whole moved away from simple, understated (and sometimes quite bland) design language to bold, loud, emotional and most importantly, are shape-shifters when you look at a Japanese car from a different angle that you've looked at before.

 

[super51fan]

The belt line? It only exists from the rear 3/4. From the front there is no line due to the tall hood.

I’m no purist, I’m a designer so line, shape, and form stick out and are very important to me.

The LC500 is the worst example you could use to prove a point because it is such a simple yet beautiful car. It an incredible design and doesn’t need aggressive lumps to create shape unlike the A90. Yeah the Supra and LC500 are clearly Japanese, but there are good and bad designs from all regions.

A car can be both aggressive and bold while also having a good design. Take the AMG GT, F Type, Vantage, Mazda RX9 concept, DB11, pre facelift mustang, 992, and LC500.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

The belt line? It only exists from the rear 3/4. From the front there is no line due to the tall hood.

I’m no purist, I’m a designer so line, shape, and form stick out and are very important to me.

The LC500 is the worst example you could use to prove a point because it is such a simple yet beautiful car. It an incredible design and doesn’t need aggressive lumps to create shape unlike the A90. Yeah the Supra and LC500 are clearly Japanese, but there are good and bad designs from all regions.

A car can be both aggressive and bold while also having a good design. Take the AMG GT, F Type, Vantage, Mazda RX9 concept, DB11, pre facelift mustang, 992, and LC500.

As for the GR Supra, there's a small break as the line goes down in an angle but the line is really slick and gives it a really smooth and imposing appearance.

The DB11 and the Vantage are butt ugly in terms of front end and rear end design. No amount of simple lines will ever make people like it.

But you can deny all you want, the LC500 is a total and complete shape shifter and rips up the "rulebook" on grand touring car design. There's a reason why when looking at an LC or a GR Supra you get goosebumps.

 

[super51fan]

As for the GR Supra, there's a small break as the line goes down in an angle but the line is really slick and gives it a really smooth and imposing appearance.

The DB11 and the Vantage are butt ugly in terms of front end and rear end design. No amount of simple lines will ever make people like it.

But you can deny all you want, the LC500 is a total and complete shape shifter and rips up the "rulebook" on grand touring car design. There's a reason why when looking at an LC or a GR Supra you get goosebumps.

Only from the rear is the line visible and doesn't extend through the entire length of the car.

What am I denying? I just said the LC500 is beautiful, but I don't get any sort of goosebumps from the Supra.

You're coming at me like I am a Toyota fan boy who hates the car because it isn't purely a Toyota vehicle. I own 2 BMWs and I am a huge fan of the new Supra and believe the engineering behind it is incredible. The car is an absolute riot to drive with tons of power all through the rev range with a transmission that bangs gear like no other. It is the best car either Toyota and BMW sell today and I may even own one in the near future. But the exterior lacks any sort of design and has so much more potential than what was delivered.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

Only from the rear is the line visible and doesn't extend through the entire length of the car.

What am I denying? I just said the LC500 is beautiful, but I don't get any sort of goosebumps from the Supra.

You're coming at me like I am a Toyota fan boy who hates the car because it isn't purely a Toyota vehicle. I own 2 BMWs and I am a huge fan of the new Supra and believe the engineering behind it is incredible. The car is an absolute riot to drive with tons of power all through the rev range with a transmission that bangs gear like no other. It is the best car either Toyota and BMW sell today and I may even own one in the near future. But the exterior lacks any sort of design and has so much more potential than what was delivered.

I've only said you're denying the fact that the Supra has a similar design language like the LC in that it's a shape shifter because you previously mentioned that the "LC500 is the worst example......"

By the way, I'm not trying to come at you. I wouldn't want to. ;^)

 

[super51fan]

I've only said you're denying the fact that the Supra has a similar design language like the LC in that it's a shape shifter because you previously mentioned that the "LC500 is the worst example......"

By the way, I'm not trying to come at you. I wouldn't want to. ;^)

Of course they have the same design language, I never denied that. The FT1 was based off proportions of the LF-LC but that doesn't excuse what came out of the production car. The LC500 is the worst example to defend the Supra's styling since it uses simple lines and instead of many angular lines to create a shape.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

Of course they have the same design language, I never denied that. The FT1 was based off proportions of the LF-LC but that doesn't excuse what came out of the production car. The LC500 is the worst example to defend the Supra's styling since it uses simple lines and instead of many angular lines to create a shape.

Ah, my retort to that is does the LC really have simple straight lines though? Like two maybe? There's that one character line that goes from the door to the rear fender and one at the trunk. I can't think of anything else.

 

[super51fan]

Ah, my retort to that is does the LC really have simple straight lines though? Like two maybe? There's that one character line that goes from the door to the rear fender and one at the trunk. I can't think of anything else.

My apologies, 'line' as in movement of the eye through an object, not as in stylized line. Your eyes move through the LC smoothly, where as the Supra your eye jumps around to various shapes and stylized lines.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

My apologies, 'line' as in movement of the eye through an object, not as in stylized line. Your eyes move through the LC smoothly, where as the Supra your eye jumps around to various shapes and stylized lines.

Ah, if that's what you're implying then yeah, that goes for a lot of grand tourers out there. The Supra simply isn't long enough for them to have some flow in their design while incorporating the design language from the FT-1.

 

[super51fan]

Ah, if that's what you're implying then yeah, that goes for a lot of grand tourers out there. The Supra simply isn't long enough for them to have some flow in their design while incorporating the design language from the FT-1.

The Supra is longer than the 86, 370z, and the same length as the Cayman and Mazda RX concept yet none of those cars have issues with length interfering with design. Maybe they shouldn’t have forced a size 8 shoe on a size 10 foot.

 

[Levi]

Only design isse

My apologies, 'line' as in movement of the eye through an object, not as in stylized line. Your eyes move through the LC smoothly, where as the Supra your eye jumps around to various shapes and stylized lines.

Never thought of it, but it is true. Don't know if it is of such importance too me. The lack of transaxle more disappointing to me. Yep, transaxles are one of my fetishes.

 

[super51fan]

Only design isse


Never thought of it, but it is true. Don't know if it is of such importance too me. The lack of transaxle more disappointing to me. Yep, transaxles are one of my fetishes.

I completely agree that the lack of a transaxle is a huge disappointment. And that they entire motor doesn’t sit entirely behind the front subframe, if only there was a more compact way to package 6 cylinders.

 

[Sulu]

I completely agree that the lack of a transaxle is a huge disappointment. And that they entire motor doesn’t sit entirely behind the front subframe, if only there was a more compact way to package 6 cylinders.

There is: It is a V6 or H6.

 

[super51fan]

There is: It is a V6 or H6.

That’s the joke!

 

[supra93]

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/nissan-z-design-alfonso-albaisa-interview/

Exclusive: In his own words, Nissan's global design chief reminisces about Nissan Zs from the past and hints about its future.

Hi there -- I'm thrilled to be with you today as part of the CNET Roadshow family, especially in these crazy times. Although I'm in Japan, I feel like we're all inhabiting the same cyberspace. So, welcome, and thank you for spending a few moments with me.

As the head of design at the Nissan Motor Company, I think the biggest and most frequently asked question I get inside and outside the company is, "Where is the new Z?"

I'm sure as you're reading this that might be the first question you have for me, other than why is a Cuban-American from Miami the leader of Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun design around the world, but we can get into that in another column.

I know what you want me to say right now: that a new Z is on its way. I've read the rumors and half the time in published articles there's a quote from me or my partner in crime, Head of Global Product Planning and Programs Ivan Espinosa. It's all highly speculative and unconfirmed. (Our PR team told me that I had to say we don't comment on future product plans, but as someone who is always working three to 10-plus years in the future, it's tough!)

OK, so, let's talk about Z, and really where it all started, the original 240Z. And for that, let's go back to my childhood in Miami. What you may know from Madonna's, Versace's, Ricky Martin's, Enrique Iglesias' Miami, or even from the Miami Vice days, let's put that aside for a second.

Instead let's look at the 1960s and 1970s. Miami was changing, growing so fast, becoming more and more of an international destination, and the Albaisa family was in the middle of this boom as my father was an architect. Yes, apple, tree, got it.

So I did get my interest in design through DNA, and it wasn't just buildings that I loved, but boats -- maybe fodder for another column -- and, of course, cars. The simplicity of the Alfa Romeo Duetto Spyder, the "open my eyes, stand me up right where I sit" presence of the Jaguar E-Type, as well as my uncle's Honda 600 and other new Japanese small cars which were trickling into the US at the time. As for that Honda, I was less than 10 years old but was amazed at how these charming small cars were so roomy and fun to be in!

I still tell stories about the first Japanese television set my father bought. We stared at it with amazement and intrigue -- even when it was off -- its out-of-this-world modernism was mesmerizing and it was also bright red, which helped.

But back to cars. As a fan of small Japanese cars (and TVs), I was wondering what else was possible from this amazing, intriguing island on the other side of the world. Yes of course there was the Toyota 2000GT from the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, but that's a very high-line car that I never saw on the street.

It's a car that, in one letter, sums up the passion of Nissan and our history. It's just a Z, man.

Enter the Datsun 240Z in late 1969. Long hood, short deck, classic sports car proportions. Appropriate for the streets of Tokyo, the piazzas of Rome, and of course, Calle Ocho, in Miami's Little Havana.

It was 50 years ago, and although I was young, that car made a big impression on me. It was a car of the world, looking fast while standing still and built with passion, precision and a bit more passion. My eyes were open.

I always kept my eye out to catch a glimpse of a Z and the generations kept racing by as it evolved from the purity of the 240, to the larger 260 and 280 (especially 2+2), and then onto the square 300ZX of the '80s to one of my personal favorites, the 300ZX of the late '80s and '90s (Z32).

A quick note on the 300ZX: I had just joined Nissan when that car was just about to come out, I saw it when it was in the design studio in Japan and honestly, I was blown away. How did they ever create anything so beautiful, so well proportioned, so much a Z in spirit, but in form every millimeter was absolutely, no question, wait a minute, fresh and new?

As my career progressed, I was able to do a bit of work on Z, as one of my mentors, Jerry Hirschberg, who created and led Nissan's San Diego office for years, came out with a little concept that brought back the feel of the 240Z (1999). As you know, that car ended up as the 350Z and is now the 370Z.

What makes a Z? Well for me, it's that proportion. It's that instant recognition on someone's face. It's the fact that it's a car that, in one letter, sums up the passion of Nissan and our history. It's just a Z, man.

And what's the beauty of talking about Z cars? Honestly, everyone I've spoken to has a Z story. They had one, their uncle had one, their mom had one and, thankfully, all the stories are positive!

OK, satisfied? I know the answer is no. You're wondering what I'm leading up to.

The answer is, I'm honored to be the head of design for a company that has such a car in its stable. And it's daunting to think of the responsibility of having to design such an icon, not just for Nissan, but for the industry as a whole!

Let's be honest, I think we all would love to see the Z continue. I love to draw Z cars, as you might've seen from a recent video I did with my kids as part of the Nissan #drawdrawdraw program (embedded above), and I've also included here a little sketch I just did of the 240Z.

Albaisa sketched out the Z's pure proportions just for Roadshow.

The classic proportions will never go out of style.

So, stay tuned, as you may never know what you may see from Nissan in the future. There's just so much happening, I cannot wait to tell you all about it.

Thank you all for reading, please stay safe and #drawdrawdraw!

Closing note: I'll be back if a certain Nissan PR guy doesn't manage to figure out a way to tackle me through a Zoom meeting. He's working on it right now and he can be clever sometimes.

 

[Levi]

The Z is a good car, as special as a Corvette and 911 in heritage and tradition. Can't say the same about any Toyota sportscar.

 

[supra93]

Posted on the MKV forum just now. I think it's one of the best renders to date.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

Posted on the MKV forum just now. I think it's one of the best renders to date.

That front grille is an almost exact copy of the grille from the C7 Corvette.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

It's a bit more generic than I like my Z cars. If you disregard the classic Z roofline, the car could be literally anything. I hope the real car's a bit more distinctive.

 

[supra93]

I kinda like the clean lines.