Nissan, suffice it to say, hasn’t exactly been a great steward of its iconic sports cars. The GT-R has long since lived past its sell-by-for-maximum-freshness date, but it at least has its impressive performance and JDM-spec appearance to keep it sexy. The Nissan 370Z, on the other hand, is just about as old, but saddled with an even more outdated interior and a painfully outmoded powerplant for the price range it competes in.
But while there’s reportedly some indecision about next steps for the GT-R, the Z, at least, may have a replacement coming down the line in the near future. At least, that’s what a trademark application filed in Canada seems to suggest.
As Motor Trend discovered, Nissan recently filed an application for a trademark on the above logo with the government of the Great White North. It’s a design that clearly harkens back to the Z cars of old, like the Datsun 240Z. The slash going against the center line of the “Z” also makes us wonder if Nissan is considering dusting off the “ZX” branding for the next-generation vehicle, as the logo subtly brings to mind the 24th letter of the alphabet as well as the 26th.
Obviously, a trademark application isn’t direct proof of a forthcoming new vehicle; like all sorts of companies, automakers often apply to lock down patents and trademarks they have no current plans to use in the event that they might seek to use them down the line. Considering both the 370Z’s age and the growing swell of rumors that a new version is around the corner — possibly packing a twin-turbo V6 to help it better battle the likes of the Toyota Supra — this filing has us more sure than we have been in a while that Nissan will soon inject some fresh blood into its sports car lineup.
