With little fanfare it will Nissan Z – known in its home country as Fairlady Z – was unveiled at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon.
Externally, the main components of the facelift are the new front bumper, alloy wheels and the optional “Unryu Green Hero” paint.
The new bumper forgoes the current vehicle’s slab-like, rectangular grille opening and instead relies on a wider design that is interrupted by a body-colored bar. The bumper itself is more sculpted and neatly continues the creases created by the hood.
Not only is it a more consistent design, but it also reduces front lift by 3.3 percent and drag by 1.0 percent. The updated Z does away with the Nissan company emblem on the front and instead uses a Z logo.
The facelift model leans even further into this generation’s retro theme with its two-tone alloy wheels, while the Unryu Green paintwork is inspired by the Grand Prix Green of the original “S30” generation. The car on display here is missing the subtle trunk spoiler that was used on models before the facelift.
Under the hood, Nissna has upgraded the shock absorbers with larger pistons and also installed larger brakes. The 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 remains unchanged and continues to deliver 298kW and 475Nm to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or nine-speed automatic.
There don’t appear to be any significant changes to the interior, but there is an option for tan trim on the seats, as well as a lower dashboard and door panels. Interestingly, these images show a car with a manual transmission and paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.
The previously introduced manual Nismo variant can also be seen at the Nissan stand at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The Nismo model lacks the facelift Z’s new bumper, as it already has its own, more aggressive and sculpted front fascia.
It’s unclear when the facelift Z will arrive in Australia and other export markets, but in Japan it will go on sale in the middle of the year, in the northern summer.
MORE: Explore the Nissan Z showroom
