It wasn't all that long ago when we reported that the next Nissan Z could be a smaller and more affordable sports car in the same vein as the original Datsun 240Z. Well, if this new report from Autocar is true then consider your hopes for a Z-badged BRZ/FR-S competitor dashed. The British outlet, citing anonymous sources, says that the next Nissan Z will be a crossover. It will make its debut in concept form at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and will be ready to go by 2017.

If Nissan did decide to go this route it would make sense, at least from a business standpoint. The Juke is a sales success and the small crossover segment is a hit in the US. When it comes down to dollars it just makes more sense for Nissan to build a crossover Z than a new entrant into the sluggish sports car market. If the crossover Z does make an appearance at Frankfurt it'll be interesting to see just how much of the Juke's style it steals and what engine it packs. It obviously won't be as powerful as the 370Z but we would like to see just a bit more oomph than the 215 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque kicked out by the NISMO RS Juke. Let's get that hybrid setup going, Nissan.