Speaking at the 2012 New York International Auto Show in the US, Nissan chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura said a lighter, tighter version of the 370Z has potential for the future. He said if there is room in the market, Nissan will do it.

Nakamura would not say if Nissan was already working on such a car, but emphasised the continued importance of sports cars to the brand. “For us, the sports car is the core of Nissan. Not many companies or brands have a history of a sports car. We have a long history of the sports car: Z and GT-R.” Nakamura said Nissan’s small sports car could be similar to the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ twins, although he said his design team did not need to be influenced by other manufacturers.

Although it sounds promising, Nakamura has all but confirmed that Nissan is actually working on such a car. In fact, he said Nissan is still deciding where to go in terms of the next 370Z. He said in a recent CarAdvice report, “Maybe a 350Z, or a 200Z, or Silvia, a 190, why not a four-cylinder? I’m talking about just ideas, we don’t know. Really we have to sit down and work out what the future sports car should be for us. This is a very important issue for us.”

Whatever it ends up being, it is expected to continue the spirit of the rear-wheel drive Nissan sports car. What do you think? Would you like to see a return of the 200SX? In turbocharged or high-revving naturally aspirated form?

It’s no secret that Nissan is already working on the successor to the current R35 Nissan GT-R, but the latest talk hints that the new sports car could be an electrically powered one!

According to Nissan’s chief operating officer, Toshiyuki Shiga, the market is shifting towards more environmentally friendly cars, which is why Nissan could consider a sports car powered 100% by electricity. Lexus are already working on a plug-in hybrid version of their LFA supercar and Mercedes-Benz recently showed off their SLS AMG E-Cell, so the idea might not be as crazy as it sounds.

An updated version of the current Nissan GT-R is expected to be announced in the near future and will go on sale as a 2012 model year. The revised GT-R is expected to benefit from a power boost, with suggestions of around 390 kW total output. More news on the latest GT-R is expected to be announced closer to the end of the year, however the successor to the current R35 is yet to be signed-off, according to sources in Japan — and that has prompted speculation that the car could be dropped as part of Nissan’s bid to reduce its range-wide fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

However, Shiga has said, “The GT-R is part of Nissan’s heritage. In fact, since Nissan started as a car company, it has been offering driving pleasure through sports cars. I can’t commit to any new products but, as far as we know, we are keeping this brand, these technologies, and trying to offer sporty cars. I am also thinking of electric vehicles as sporty cars”, he added.

Asked whether Nissan has plans to build a cheaper sports car as a possible successor to the popular Nissan 200SX and rival to the Toyota FT-86, Shiga responded, “Automotive makers are not just making commodities to transfer people or goods. We are happy to provide, or to offer, this value. Nissan wants to continue making vehicles for driving pleasure – this is important.”