The Teaser for the All-New Nissan Z: Is It Enough to Save the Brand?

By now, we've all seen the teaser for the all-new Nissan Z. People are going bananas for it. But as news spreads of factories shutting down and thousands of people being laid off, you have to wonder, is this new Z enough to save Nissan? The question on everyone's mind is whether the company has finally gotten its act together with the release of a highly anticipated car.

Carlos Ghosn: Was He Framed?

He was hailed a hero when profits began to plummet. However, he was arrested and charged with financial wrongdoing. The news surrounding Ghosn's arrest has sparked controversy, with many wondering if he was set up. New emails from Nissan executives may suggest that Ghosn is telling the truth about being framed this whole time.

The Importance of Justice

Ghosn left Japan because he is looking for justice and wants to clear his name. He has always maintained that he is innocent, and now it seems like new evidence may be coming out in support of him. The fact that Nissan executives are now releasing emails that could potentially prove Ghosn's innocence shows just how desperate the company must be to discredit its former CEO.

A Shout-Out to Omaze

Hey, big shout-out to Omazefor sponsoring this episode of WheelHouse. You can enter now for your chance to win a brand-new 2020 Corvette Stingray Z51 with taxes and shipping included. Plus, Omaze is going to throw in $20,000 just because they're so awesome. The C8 Stingray is an amazing car, but this one is even sicker because it has the Z51 package that bumps horsepower up to 495 buff yet very refined horses.

Winning a Corvette

That means a zero-to-60 time of less than three seconds. So hurry up and head over to omaze.com/donut and enter for your chance to win the Stingray, plus $20,000 cash. Best of all, every donation supports the Ronald Reagan Medical Center at UCLA, the same institution that saved James' life.

The Ongoing Series on Nissan

If you've been following our ongoing series on Nissan, you know that the badge responsible for some of our favorite cars has been teasing a new Z for quite some time now. You probably also know that we claimed to have saved Nissan by giving them the idea for a new Z. We were being just a little clickbait-y, I'll admit.

A Game Changer

Hey man, YouTube's a game, and ya'll play the game to win the game, baby. We don't believe that Nissan actually listened to us, they've obviously been working on the car in secret. The fact that it's finally happening now is exciting news for fans of the brand.

A Teaser That Caught Everyone's Attention

The teaser for the all-new Nissan Z has caught everyone's attention. It's hard not to get hyped when a new car is coming out, especially one as highly anticipated as this one. The fact that it's been over a year since we last heard anything about the car makes the wait even more unbearable.

Nissan's Fiscal Year

Nissan has suffered its worst fiscal year in 20 years. From March 2019 to March of this year, they posted $6.3 billion in losses. That's not a good sign for the company. On top of that, Nissan has already shut down two separate manufacturing plants this year, one in Indonesia and one in Barcelona.

The Struggle is Real

There's just not enough people rushing out to scoop up a new Nissan Note anytime soon, even with sweet dealer incentives. These are just the first couple steps in a greater initiative to cut losses amidst a declining global car market. Nissan has to drop worldwide production by 20% just to stay afloat.

A Tough Reality

That also means laying off 20,000 Nissan employees. With the onset of Brexit happening as well, Nissan won't be able to keep their factory in Sunderland, Great Britain much longer either. The factory is responsible for almost half a million cars a year and has 6,000 employees. It won't be sustainable with new tariffs.

A Turbulent Relationship

Nissan's turbulent relationship with their partner, Renault, is something that should not be taken lightly. In January, rumors were floating around that Nissan was considering breaking off from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Renault owns a significant percentage of Nissan, so it's kinda like that. The Alliance is weird, and there's always a power struggle, even though Nissan is the cash cow of the relationship and sells the most cars.

A Power Struggle

Renault has a controlling percentage in Nissan, so it's kinda like that. The Alliance is weird, and there's always a power struggle, even though Nissan is the cash cow of the relationship and sells the most cars. It's clear that Renault is not happy about Nissan considering breaking off from the alliance.

The Future of Nissan

Something a bit more troubling than the potential break-up with Renault is Nissan's reduced production output. The company has cut the number of production models from 69 to under 55, reducing total output to 5.4 million cars per year. That's still a ton of cars being produced every year, so I'm not worried about Nissan completely going out of business just yet.

The Impact on Brexith

However, something that is causing concern for Nissan is the impact of Brexit on their factory in Sunderland, Great Britain. The factory is responsible for almost half a million cars a year and has 6,000 employees. It won't be sustainable with new tariffs.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- By now, we've all seenthe teaser for the all-new Nissan Z.People are going bananas for it.But as news spreads offactories shutting downand thousands of people being laid off,you have to wonder, is thisnew Z enough to save Nissan?And was the ex-CEO, CarlosGhosn, actually framed?New emails from Nissan execs might suggesthe's been telling thetruth about being set upthis whole time.- He was hailed a hero.When profits began to plummet,he was arrested and chargedwith financial wrongdoing.- I didn't leave Japan to hide somewhere.- Everybody's talking about the box,except you.- Well, good for them.I left Japan becauseI'm looking for justice,and I wanna clear my name.- Oh man, we might haveto issue an apology.Hey, big shout-out to Omazefor sponsoring this episode of WheelHouse.You can enter now for your chance to wina brand-new 2020 Corvette Stingray Z51with taxes and shipping included.Plus, Omaze is gonna throw in $20,000just because they're so awesome.The C8 Stingray is an amazing car,but this one is even sickerbecause it has the Z51 packagethat bumps horsepower up to 495 buff,yet very refined, horses.That means a zero to 60 timeof less than three seconds.So hurry up and head overto omaze.com/donut and enterfor a chance to win theStingray, plus $20,000 cash.Best of all, every donation supportsthe Ronald Reagan Medical Center at UCLA,the same institutionthat saved James' life.That's omaze.com/donut,go there and donateto support an amazing organizationbecause you could bedriving a freaking Stingray!That's sick!If you've been following ourongoing series on Nissan,you know that the badge that's responsiblefor some of our favorite carshas been teasing a new Zfor quite some time now.You probably also know that weclaimed to have saved Nissanby giving them the idea for a new Z.We were being just a littleclickbait-y, I'll admit.Hey man, YouTube's a game,and ya'll play the gameto win the game, baby.We don't believe that Nissanactually listened to us,they've obviously beendeveloping the car for years now.From the short clip theyreleased in late May,we're able to see the silhouetteof a Z car that looks super dope.(classical string music)It looks like a futuristic240, which is a good sign.It means that Nissanmight be making the new Zwith enthusiasts in mind,which is what I askedfor in the last video.This just might be the car nerd in me,but I think it's vital thatNissan focus their effortson updating the Z and the GT-R.There's also a new Frontiertruck in the video,which is long overdue,the previous gen was around for 16 years.Also, what is that M car?It looks like a sporty hatchback thing,and it's the only one thatdoesn't have a full nameat the end of the video.Maybe it'll be sick, I don't know.Nissan has been prettytight-lipped about all of this,but they did release detailsabout a new generation...(drum roll)Nissan Rogue, which is the equivalentof waiting for a Star Wars trailerand getting a pictureof Jar Jar Binks, kinda.Some people say that he's a Sith Lord,I think the burden of proofshould be on the one making the argument,not the other way around.Moving on, the new redesigned Sentrathat Nissan debutedactually looks pretty sick,it looks aggressive and sportylike its big brother Maxima.The only engine optionright now for the new Sentrais an inline-four with 149 horsepower,and car mags are saying it's pretty slow.But hopefully they'll releasethe turbo-ed version,or an SE-R, or a NISMO,and this car could bekinda sick, honestly.Frankly, the best partabout this new Sentrais the interior.Like I said in a previous video,previous Nissan interiors felt olderthan old Nissan interiors somehow,I don't know how they did that.I'm glad they finally updatedit for the new millennium.While Nissan seems to bedoing a few things right,like updating modelsand teasing usperformance-minded young people,and taking back control of their image,they are not doing sohot behind the scenes.And by behind the scenes,I mean in newspapers and the public eye.- If you push Nissan andRenault further apart,are they gonna be better off?I'm not sure that is true.It may be better from apolitical point of view,it certainly may be betterfrom a reputational point of view.- Nissan has been in the news recentlyafter they suffered the worstfiscal year in 20 years.From March 2019 to March of this year,they posted $6.3 billion in losses.That's not a good... (sighs)That's just not a good year.On top of that, the companyhas already shut downtwo separate manufacturingplants this year,one in Indonesia, and one in Barcelona.There's just not enough people rushing outto scoop up a new NissanNote anytime soon,even if there are sweet dealer incentives.These are just the first couple stepsin a greater initiative to cut lossesamidst a declining global car market.Nissan has to dropworldwide production by 20%just to stay afloat.That also means laying off20,000 Nissan employees.With the onset of Brexithappening as well,Nissan won't be able to keep their factoryin Sunderland, GreatBritain much longer either.The factory is responsiblefor almost half a million cars a year,and it won't be sustainablewith new tariffs.That plant alone has 6,000 employees.As if the human toll wasn't enough,Nissan is also cutting theamount of production modelsfrom a very nice 69 models to under 55,and reducing total outputto 5.4 million cars a year.That's still a ton of carsbeing produced every year,so I'm not worriedabout Nissan completely goingout of business just yet.There's enough of that Versa fleet moneyto sustain them for alittle while at least.But something a bit more troublingis Nissan's turbulent relationshipwith their partner, Renault.Back in January, remember that?That was a long time ago.Rumors were floating aroundthat Nissan was consideringbreaking off from theRenault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.For Renault, who owns asignificant percentage of Nissan,it's something thatshouldn't be taken lightly.The Alliance is weird, andthere's always a power struggle,even though Nissan is thecash cow of the relationshipand sells the most cars.Renault has a controllingpercentage in Nissan,so it's kinda like that "Far Side" cartoonwhere the frog is beingswallowed by the stork,but the frog is stranglingthe stork at the same time.(screaming)You remember that one cartoon you sawwhile you were pooping16 years ago, right?Actually, I had more respectfor my "Far Side" booksthan to relegate them to the bathroom.That's where "Dilbert" went.Nissan is a companythat takes immense pridein its engineering.The merger with Renault savedthe company from going under,but it also made Nissan synonymouswith less-than-stellar engineering,and shoddy build quality,and a diluted brand.There's been resentment within the companyever since Carlos Ghosntook over 20 years ago,resentment that's been slowlybubbling to the surface.Now that Carlos is gone,the pretense of saving the Allianceis less important to Nissan.But the rumors of the splitwere quickly quashed by Renault,who said that theirrelationship with Nissanhas gotten much strongerafter the ousting of theinfamous ex-CEO, Carlos Ghosn.So what does that mean for us Nissan fans?What can we expect fromthe company moving forward?For now, Nissan is utilizingtheir alliance with Renault and Mitsubishito develop new technology.A new model that was teasedin the trailer, the Ariya,Ariya?With a platform that was developedin conjunction with Renault.The all-electric SUV,which has a similar designlanguage to the new Rogue,is the first of its kind for Nissan.It could be huge for the brand,who already has a decent stakein the EV market with the Leaf,which I was surprised to findout they will be offeringwith an upgraded 214horsepower electric motor.That's not bad.Clearly, Nissan is taking the right stepsby updating their existing line.I think using the toolsthat Renault and Mitsubishi have to offerto make new models is a good thing.The fruits of said alliance can be seenin the new update for Nissan'spremium badge, Infiniti.The new strategy is beingdescribed as Nissan-plus,and involves a completeoverhaul of the existing lineup.New Infiniti modelswill share existingarchitecture with Nissan models,but focus on becoming ultra luxurious.The new strategy is a wayto combat the diluting of the brand,and shift focus from theshoddy build quality of carsthat helped defined Carlos Ghosn's legacy.And speaking of Mr. G.,what's going on with him?(slow hip-hop music)So what's up with ourold friend Carlos Ghosn?New leaked emails from Nissanmight suggest that he actually was set up,like he's been claiming all along.And if this turns out to be true,I might owe you an apology, Carlos.To understand what's going on,we're gonna have to goall the way back to 2018,right before Carlos Ghosn was arrestedand charged withunderreporting his income.Back then, things were looking,ow, just bit my mouth.Back then, things werelooking pretty bleak,and the market was oversaturatedwith crappy Nissan models.As the issues built up,the blame was increasinglyfunneled towards Ghosn,and he gained a powerfulgroup of haters within Nissanfor proposing that theJapanese company and Renaultsolidify their partnershipby letting Renault buymore stock in Nissan.- So that seems to haveCarlos Ghosn's fingerprints all over it.He's sort of the master of alliances,he created this Renault-Nissanalliance in the first place.- According to confidentialemails from early 2018,these execs at Nissan conspiredto neutralize Ghosn's initiatives,effectively sabotagingthe CEO from the inside.One of the emails from someone at Nissanliterally said, quote,"neutralize his initiativesbefore it's too late."That sounds like some spymovie stuff right there.Then, a day before Ghosn is arrested,an internal memo is circulated at Nissanin which executive Hari Nadacalled for the terminationof the agreement Nissan have with Renault,and that Nissan should havethe right to buy Renaultand take away their abilityto install a new CEO.Sounds like they'replanning something, right?The very next day,Carlos Ghosn was arrested on a private jetand charged withunderreporting his income.Is that like the resistingarrest of white collar crimes?Other emails from after the arrestpainted the picture of acompany trying their bestto smear the reputation of Carlos Ghosn.Hari Nada pressed other Nissan execsto pursue more serious crimesthan underreporting income,and his efforts should be, quote,"supported by media campaignfor insurance of destroyingCG reputation hard enough."Turns out that this Hari dudehad been secretly visitingCarlos Ghosn's housesin Brazil and Lebanon,trying to dig up dirt on him,eventually using it for a smear campaignto make Nissan look good in comparison.That's slimy!What's going on?So, if you didn't know all this,you probably thought CarlosGhosn was 100% guilty.Myself included.And while I can't say for sureif Nissan played him for a Pazziin order to enact company-wide reform,I'm a little closer to believingCarlos Ghosn was framed.So, for the sake of being impartial,I apologize to you, Mr. Ghosn,I'm sorry we passed judgment on youbefore all the facts came out.I'm glad that you're living your best lifein a mansion in Lebanon insteadof inside a Japanese prison.Speaking of which,Japan's attempts toextradite Ghosn from Lebanonhaven't been fruitful.The two countries don'thave a treaty in placethat guarantees that they haveto deport international criminals,so Carlos remains a free man for now.It's not a huge deal,it's just kind of causingan international crisis,just a little thing, it's a little crisis.Japan has threatened to withhold a loanto the InternationalMonetary Fund to Lebanon,which is $90 billion in debt.(speaking in Japanese)- Sorry, this is a car channel,so we don't need to getinto international politics.So, anyway, the pointis, Lebanon and Japandon't have an extradition treaty in placelike the US and Japan do,which is why the dudes whohelped Ghosn escape Japan,the American ex-Green Beret Michael Taylorand his son Peter, werearrested in the US.These guys claim it wasn't acrime to help Ghosn escape,which I think is a great defense,and I hope it works out for them.(laughs)They face up to three years in prisonand a 300,000 yen fine,which is about $2800,and I'm pretty surethat they got paid more thanthat to help Ghosn escape.Look, all we really care aboutis what we can expect with the new Z.The teaser that Nissan released is cool,but I need a little more infobefore I start to get excited.I am a Z boy at heart,and I'll probably end uploving whatever it is,but I'm not sure it's enoughto change the trajectory of the company.I can't say that with any certaintythat all these upgradedmodels will save Nissan.It's up to the topbrass at these companiesto get their poop in a groupso us lower-class plebscan have some cool cars.And if we've learned anythingabout money-grabbing CEOs,it's not guaranteed tohappen anytime soon.And I would hate to seethe company just split up,and assets scattered, andthat would just be really sad.(sighs) At least we'll alwayshave high car and low car.Well, we'll always have high car.Be kind, I'll see you next time.