We've all been hearing the on-again, off-again rumors about the Nissan 370Z successor. Last refreshed for 2013, the current Z car has soldiered on since it first debuted way back in 2009. It hasn't changed all that much in nearly a decade. So isn't it about time for a replacement? Absolutely, only thing is Nissan has yet to confirm its intentions. Last we heard was that Nissan was in no rush to do a successor, despite the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Z car.

However, we've seen signs here and there that Nissan is working on something. The latest evidence comes courtesy of Autocar, who recently chatted with Nissan design chief Alfonso Albaisa. While acknowledging the sports car market is not exactly what it used to be, with its future remaining very uncertain, generally speaking Albaisa said he was "personally advocating" for a new Z car. "We haven't given up on it," he declared. That's the good news. The not so good news is that Nissan, at the moment, is lacking a modern platform for such a car. Sticking with the current rear-wheel-drive platform isn't wise, considering its age and inability to adapt to hybrid technology and batteries.

Therefore, Nissan would have to build a new platform very likely from scratch. Opting for an existing Infiniti platform, say what underpins the Q60 coupe, probably wouldn't work either because it's too big and heavy. However, if Nissan were really daring, the next Z car would go all-electric, utilizing a shortened and modified version of the new Leaf's setup. Add to that Albaisa's proven design capabilities and you've certainly got something interesting.