There’s a lot to like about the Nissan Z, although some people aren’t too fond of the large rectangular grille. It looks like Nissan is listening, as a new front fascia with a split-grille design will arrive as an option later this year for Japanese buyers. Availability for other markets is still unknown.
We first saw this split grille almost a year ago at the Nissan Fairlady Z Custom Proto. It debuted at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, and was shown back at the 2023 show a few weeks ago. The prototype featured other minor exterior tweaks, but the fascia with a thin top grille and wider lower grille is what caught the eye. At the time, Nissan said it was relegated to this prototype Japanese Nostalgic Car reports the fascia will enter production in mid-2023 as a dealer-installed option.
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Unfortunately, it appears that the upgrade is exclusive to Japan. Motor1.com reached out to Nissan to inquire about potential availability in North America, and we’ll be sure to update this post as new information emerges. However, there may be other factors at play for optional faces in the US.
Last July, we saw a Nissan Z test vehicle in Arizona with the nose camouflaged. It appears to have a split-grille fascia, leading to speculation a future Z Nismo model is in the works. More spy photos emerged in December 2022, showing the two test vehicles wearing different amounts of camouflage further supporting the Nismo grid theory. As such, it’s possible the design won’t be an optional upgrade in North America, but standard on Nismo models.
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If so, it may be a while before we have an answer for Z fans in the United States. While the standard model debuts in 2021, it won’t go on sale until 2022. It’s possible a reveal will happen later this year, to coincide with the release of the new fascia for Japan.
