Nissan sold 78.7% more Zs than it did in 2023, but it’s been awhile since I’ve seen one. How about you?
For the past few years, we’ve been in a sports car renaissance, with old names like the Toyota Supra returning from the dead, while we also got a new generation of the iconic Nissan Z. With its earlier arrival, Toyota’s halo sports car saw early sales success, topping 6,830 sales in 2021. Since then, however, it’s been steadily dropping off, to the point where it more or less leveled out in 2023 at 2,652 units. 2024 saw virtually the same number of Supras finding owners (2,615, down 1.4% from 2023) and now…the Nissan Z pulled ahead with annual sales of 3,164 cars.
That’s a 78.7% increase from 2023, and a veritable miracle from its first two years on the market. The new Z’s launch woes resulting in apocalyptic sales figures of just 36 units in 2021 and 263 units in 2022. So, on that basis, Nissan’s having a great time with the RZ34 generation of its iconic sports car. And, frankly, it should: I noted in one of my last Z reviews that the manual-equipped Z is a charming beast with 400 horsepower on tap and fantastic handling capability (and you get even more with the Nismo, if you’re willing to spend more and give up the third pedal for an automatic).
That’s not to say the Toyota Supra is bad, by any means — it’s just as capable and packs nearly the same amount of power from its BMW-sourced 3.0-liter straight-six. I feel it’s also a bit more compliant than the Z in day-to-day use, even with the manual transmission, but sales are nonetheless dropping off as the A90/91 model ages.
And that cuts to the heart of what seems to be happening with sports coupes on a wider scale. When’s the last time you saw either of these cars out on the road? I used to see Supras a fair bit, even here in Colorado, but they’re certainly not as common a sight as they were at the fifth-generation’s launch. As for the Z…granted, this isn’t the best year-round climate for a rear-wheel drive sports cars, but I still see the old 350Z and 370Z more often than this latest model. If I were out in Southern California, I’d probably have a different perspective on that one. Broadly speaking, though, coupes have been a shrinking market where automakers like Toyota and Nissan are fighting for their piece of a smaller pie.
The Supra goes six-cylinder-only for 2025 — which would you choose?
Even with shifts in the market, some folks are clearly still keen to get their hands on some front-engined, rear-wheel drive fun. It’s going to be a bit tougher for Toyota fans this year, though, as the automaker dropped its entry-level 2.0-liter model from the menu. While we don’t have exact sales figures, I’m willing to bet it wasn’t as strong a seller as the full-fledged 3.0 models, and Toyota’s decision to drop it leaves more breathing room for the GR 86 (and functionally identical Subaru BRZ).
Still, you’ll have to pay $57,385 for the most affordable 2025 Supra. Nissan hasn’t announced pricing for the 2025 model Z yet, but 2024 versions started at $44,110 and ran up to $66,890 for the beefed up Nismo with 20 extra horsepower.
Given Nissan’s current headline-making troubles and the fact that brand-wide sales actually fared decently in spite of those troubles — total sales for the Nissan brand were up 3.8% year-over-year — the automaker probably isn’t going to rock the boat too much, and keep its sports car competitive against not just the Supra, but heavyweights like the Ford Mustang, which sold 44,003 examples last year. Ford’s Mustang sales did drop by 9.5% though, despite 2024 being the first full year of the seventh-generation model, suggesting an overall contraction of the coupe market.
