2021 Nissan 400Z styling confirmed in patent images

• Nissan 400Z sports car set to be more powerful than 370Z
• Much more modern interior
• Not coming to the UK

The Nissan 400Z will be almost identical to the Z Proto concept that preceded it, after patent images revealed the styling of the new model. The 400Z is the replacement for the Nissan 370Z, which has only recently been discontinued having been on sale since 2008. Packing a twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine and a manual gearbox, the new car will be more powerful than the last one but probably more efficient too.

Sports cars don’t sell particularly well in the UK and it’s been confirmed that the 400Z won’t be sold anywhere in Europe. The Japanese brand will instead focus on electric and hybrid cars, like the Nissan Ariya and the new hybrid Nissan Qashqai. Rivals would have included the Toyota Supra and BMW M2.

The Z Proto is packed with design cues that recall its predecessors, such as a similar window line to the 370Z and rear lights like the early Datsun 240Z. Fairlady and Z badging also highlight the car’s lineage. The car is slightly longer and wider than the outgoing 370Z.

The next Nissan sports car will have a small increase in power. We expect around 340bhp from the standard model, and an extra 20bhp or so if a racier Nismo-branded model appears. It’ll still be rear-wheel drive, while a manual gearbox is likely too.

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Although details are sketchy at this stage, it has been confirmed that the 400Z will get a new twin-turbo powertrain. The current car’s 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine looks increasingly old-fashioned - it’s naturally aspirated, incredibly uneconomical and has huge CO2 emissions (its 245g/km output is the same as the Ferrari Portofino).

Speaking to our sister website Auto Express at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan’s senior vice president of design, Alfonso Albaisa, said the company would always have a sports car like the 370Z. “It’s easy to imagine [a successor to the 370Z]. The current car has been a long time in dealerships, and you could imagine Giovanni [Arroba] and the designers working on it.”

Giovanni Arroba is Nissan’s head of design for electric cars, so a fully electric powertrain was suggested earlier in the car’s development.

The Nissan 370Z replacement will still be a two-seat sports car with limited practicality but the interior will get an overhaul to bring it up to date. There’ll be a digital instrument cluster and an improved touchscreen, which should have Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a DAB radio for the first time.

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The car may offer different driving modes, with a more comfortable setting to make the car easier to live with on long journeys.

Nissan teased the car in a product plan video, which showed it’s committed to releasing 12 new cars by the end of 2021. The new ‘Z’ sports car was among them, along with the Nissan Ariya electric SUV and updates to the Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Navara.

Read our guides to the best cheap sports cars, the best driver’s cars and the best hybrid and electric sports cars.