Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Nissan, Toys
Drive the Nissan 370Z in Need for Speed: Undercover weeks before it goes on sale
Click above to view high-res gallery of the Nissan 370Z in Need for Speed: Undercover
The new 2010 Nissan 370Z was unveiled earlier today and will make its official debut at the LA Auto Show next month before going on sale in early 2009. The new Z car will also make an unusual debut within Electronic Arts' new racing game, Need for Speed: Undercover, which goes on sale November 18th. We already knew the car was involved in the game somehow after it was seen in screen shots of in-game video.
Driving games today have no trouble recreating cars down to the smallest detail, and Nissan says it worked hand in hand with the game's studio developer, Black Box, to make sure its new sports car was accurately rendered and drives like it does in real life. This means you'll be able to pilot the 370Z, at least in the virtual sense, weeks before it arrives on dealers lots. And from the look of these screen captures in our gallery below, the car took to being digitized quite well. We were going to pick up the new Need for Speed anyway, but this just gives us all the more reason.
Gallery: 2010 Nissan 370Z
[Source: Nissan, EA]
PRESS RELEASE
ALL-NEW 2009 NISSAN Z MAKES ITS WORLD DEBUT IN EA'S NEED FOR SPEED UNDERCOVER
EA and Nissan shift into high-gear this holiday! TheNeed for Speed series continues the tradition of featuring the most desirable cars as Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Nissan today revealed the highly-anticipated all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z. This marks the first time an auto manufacturer has partnered with a videogame company for the world premiere reveal of a car. The Nissan ZÒ will be available exclusively in this holiday's hottest action driving title, Need for Speed™ Undercover, available in North America on November 18 and in Europe on November 21.
"For the past 15 years, Need for Speed has helped define contemporary automotive culture by bridging the gap between gamers and the world's hottest cars. As such, we are very excited to partner with one of the automotive powerhouses today to exclusively reveal the all-new Nissan ZÒ," said Keith Munro, vice president of Marketing at Electronic Arts. "Need for Speed is about style, fast-paced action and power; this is definitely a car made for Need for Speed fans. Come November, they'll be able to test drive the all-new 370Z in the game before the car is released on the market."
"Our relationship with EA has been instrumental in bringing the Nissan brand to a passionate and unique audience," says Christian Meunier, vice president, Nissan Marketing. "By launching the all-new 2009 Nissan ZÒ first through Need for Speed: Undercover, we also gain the spirit and energy that EA gamers experience so strongly. Together with EA, we have truly integrated the all-new 370Z in the overall game experience in a meaningful, multi-layered and profound way."
With the signature boomerang headlights and taillights to the enhanced powertrain, Need for Speed Undercover designers worked closely with Nissan to accurately replicate the overall look, feel and performance of the all-new Nissan ZÒ. From the game's opening moment, players will be thrust right into the action with gamers whipping the 370Z in-and-out of traffic at high speed.
The all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z is a super evolution of the iconic Nissan ZÒ, building on the strengths of it's predecessor, finding the sports car "sweet spot" in performance, style, and value. The 2009 Nissan Z marks the first full redesign of the Nissan ZÒ since its reintroduction as a 2003 model.
The all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19, hitting dealerships in early 2009.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
catgirlshyla 1:04PM (10/29/2008)
Still want the GT-R Police cars.
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imirk 1:11PM (10/29/2008)
Is it just me or does it look like the whole city must be flooded or something?
Anyway I have a feeling that the car will grow on me, because it already has started :P
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carguy 1:17PM (10/29/2008)
FACT CHECK ALERT: According to Nissan, the new 370Z is 2009 model, not 2010.
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John R 1:47PM (10/29/2008)
Or, if you don't want to vocalize foul language at exceedingly high decibels while playing, you'll wait to download it for GT5.
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dewuser 1:48PM (10/29/2008)
****** NISSAN, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? ******
Let me start out by saying that I'm a Nissan fan, but what a mess!
The 370Z is suffering from inconsistent design lines. The front, the cabin and the rear, seem to come from different design departments. What's up with the front bumper inlets & the headlights?
I prefer the 350Z instead.
The only thing aesthetically pleasing in the 370Z, is the much improved interior. It looks refined and well appointed.
Nissan should of payed as much attention to the exterior as they did on the interior.
- my 2 cents.
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tuna 5:30PM (10/29/2008)
Your 2 cents exactly. Way off with those comments. Clearly not familiar with past Z's. The point is to create something new with a hint of the past to recall the car's heritage, not to recreate something that has already been done.
Sam 1:51PM (10/29/2008)
Is it just my imagination or does this thing have a mouth like a FISH? I guess they made the front particularly ugly so the GT-R didn't look even worse in comparison.
We live in an age of truly ugly machines. Please! Please! Someone stop the madness!!!!
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dewuser 1:58PM (10/29/2008)
Its not your imagination:
Cat Fish
or
Shark
Take your pick...
Torrent 1:54PM (10/29/2008)
it's not a good looking car.
Not trying to be mean, but I really don't like it. I'm 100% sure the future nissans will get this unloved treatment. Sad. So very sad...
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dewuser 2:01PM (10/29/2008)
I agree, it is NOT a good looking car to say the least.
Curtis 4:18PM (10/29/2008)
I think it's a wonderful progression of design, this new Z is a lot better looking than the old Z in my opinion. When the last Z came out, I was discusted by it's looks, but it grew on me, I love it now, when this Z was revealed I instantly loved it. This car is so sweet, I'll never buy one, because if I want something fast I'll go for two wheels.
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phunkyphoxx 4:24PM (10/29/2008)
visual evolution at its worst... especially the taillights looked a LOT better on the 350
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cBraunDesign 4:51PM (10/29/2008)
I think the 370Z looks great. While I agree that it looks like a catfish/nurse shark, It pulls it off well. The best angle will be it's profile for sure, I like how the hook slopes back toward the rear wheels. I really sense the connection between this design and the old 240Z better than the previous design. I like the taillights better, but I will admit, these headlights are not cool.
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cBraunDesign 4:52PM (10/29/2008)
EDIT:
I like how the HOOD slopes back toward the rear wheels.
tifosiotaku 5:18PM (10/29/2008)
I'd give a damn, but Midnight Club: Los Angeles is out. Anybody who picks this retread over the latest Rockstar goodness is terminally retarded. That is all.
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ming 12:25AM (10/30/2008)
The problem is you don't get to drive it like it does in real life. You get NFS physics and handling instead.
On the other hand, I guess its a cool way to advertise its brand new car :)
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Sid 1:18PM (10/29/2008)
Agreed. That car might as well be a Civic.
NFS sucks and has sucked since Underground.
Benfolio 1:40PM (10/29/2008)
AGREED.
Porsche Unleashed was awesome, and the two High Stakes were fun as hell (especially on the PC, giving the Caprice and Crown Vic the engine/suspension/weight characteristics of a Camaro SS and Mustang respectively).
Sad to see the series fail so bad, but it's what kids want these days: an arcade racer they can manage as well as they can a real car while texting at 80MPH
arturo 7:19PM (10/29/2008)
I am liking this car. I would get this one black, and wait for the nismo, or aftermarket bumper to my liking. Lower the car a few inches, tinted windows, and maybe some BBS rims and that's it.