Chicago show: Cosmetic tweaks for Nissan 370Z
BY MIKE COSTELLO | 8th Feb 2012
Nissan Australia general manager Jeff Fisher confirmed to GoAuto that the car would hit local showrooms "very early" in 2013.
The most obvious – though still subtle – change is to the blacked-out front grille, which loses the previous version’s distinctive shark fin-like body mouldings in favour of a cleaner, more rounded design.
Vertical LED running lights have also been added to the front fascia, while the side-on view is updated by redesigned 19-inch aluminium-alloy wheels.
North American models now get a red – rather than black – rear reflector cover, although this is already standard fitment on Australian Z cars. The new additions to the colour palette are Magma Red and Midnight Blue.
The car will also be available in the US with red-finished brake callipers and ‘Euro-tuned’ shock absorbers as part of that market’s Sports Package.
Changes inside the cabin are limited to a new dark-finish fuel gauge trim in place of the current silver-look one.
The Japanese brand lifted the curtain from the refreshed Z car ahead of its public debut at the Chicago Auto Show this week and North American showroom roll-out in June.
The tweaked 370Z will be joined in the Windy City by the new Pathfinder SUV, which was first revealed at the Detroit show last month and is expected to emerge in Australia in late 2013.
As reported, the forthcoming fourth-generation Pathfinder will introduce a car-like monocoque architecture to the nameplate, a move on from the current model, which shares its underpinnings with the rugged Navara ute.
Yesterday Nissan also revealed a slick new light-sized hatchback concept called the Invitation, which will make its debut at the Geneva show next month.
Likely to be a Europe-only proposition, the angular and high-bodied hatch will supplement the Micra city car and Juke compact crossover, and is likely to share its platform with the all-new Renault Clio that will emerge at the Paris motor show in September.
As GoAuto reported yesterday, the Invitation is likely to be joined on the Geneva stand by a concept version of the next-generation X-Trail compact SUV, while a sedan variant of the new Pulsar – which debuted in hatch for last year in Shanghai – is set to appear at Beijing in April.
Both the X-Trail and Pulsar will be core products from 2013 onwards in Nissan Australia’s ambitious quest to become this country’s number one full-line vehicle importer.
