Is the Nissan Z digging its own grave?

The Nissan Z is a genuinely exciting new sports car, but that doesn’t matter if the car is not accessible. Nissan Z sales are alarmingly low. The Z has been out for a year now, and total US sales in the first quarter of 2023 were just 466. The Z is not supposed to be an ultra-exclusive sports car. It’s supposed to be a fun & viable alternative to that. Nissan is, of course, still blaming Corona & chip/parts shortages. But Nissan also sighted a couple of other reasons. Coming as no shock to me at this point, they have to do with 1) Automation. And 2) Sustainability.

The plant that makes the Nissan Z…

Is located in Tochigi, Japan. And at that plant, Nissan has implemented some new automated manufacturing techniques with less human interference. But more on that in a minute. Because additionally…

In attempts to kiss the world’s enlightened ass…

Nissan has implemented a more sustainable paint process on the Nissan Z. The new process uses a lower temperature to cure the paint, in theory saving precious energy (all while they transition to energy-sucking EVs). The paint process also uses more environmentally-friendly chemicals in the paint itself. Which is a nice touch… IF the paint doesn’t come out looking like shit.

So circling back to the automation…

The non-human machines on the assembly & quality-control lines can read paint to down to a third of a millimeter. Impressive. But since the paint is not great, the machines keep rejecting it.

It seems that Nissan has implemented production methods…

That are in fact restricting production. And that has yielded very low inventory on new Nissan Zs. Therefore… the prices on new Zs are gouged. Additionally, kinks in production no doubt wastes energy… so arguably on that front, the world is no better off. It’s the literal opposite of sustainable. The only measurable difference is – you don’t have a Z yet. And if you do… you probably spent $20,000-$30,000 more than its worth. While probably not getting the color you wanted. But have faith, because you’ll likely be repainting it in 7 years when the clear coat lifts from the roof, spoiler, and hood. Because having to paint it twice saves energy & the environment for sure.

We’re being misled, mismanaged, & misgoverned…

And completely tangled in a web of sustainability delusions. The result is: A higher price on a lesser product with more delays (let that sink in). And they’re urging you to accept this nonsense for the sake of “the environment”?! At a point, that narrative starts to get exhausting & hypocritical. Of course it goes without saying, we all want clean air for our future. But we need the world economy to be able to function within those margins. And we need common sense to step in. Stop moving the damn goalposts around based on virtue signaling.