The Nissan Z Is Demolishing the Supra in Sales

Nissan Z demand began to show signs of life last July. Sales jumped 50.8 percent in the first half of 2024, and it appears the company is building on that momentum. First-quarter sales results are in, and Z sales are up a whopping 221 percent year-over-year, with Nissan selling 2,154 Zs so far.

The Z’s strong start to the year puts it well ahead of the Toyota Supra, BMW Z4, and Subaru BRZ—just like the Dodge Charger Daytona EV. It even outsold the Mazda MX-5 Miata. Toyota sold just 421 Supras, while Mazda moved 1,947 Miatas. If the sales boom continues, the Z could have its best sales year after 2024, when the company sold 3,164 coupes.

Despite the company’s woes, sales for the Japanese brand were up 6.3 percent for the quarter in America, driven mostly by its sedans. Versa, Sentra, and Altima sales all increased by significant margins. Sales of the Versa—the cheapest car in America with an $18,330 starting price for 2025 (including the $1,140 destination charge)—jumped 156 percent.

Those three models offset the decline in sales of Nissan’s SUVs and trucks. Rogue sales dipped 31.6 percent, Titan fell 62.5 percent, and Frontier tumbled 26.7 percent. Sales of its cheapest crossover, the Kicks were up 84.8 percent, while the Murano saw sales climb by 84.1 percetn. Armada sales fell 1.7 percent, while Pathfinder sales nudged up 3.4 percent.

Nissan recently announced it was cutting the price of the 2025 Rogue and Pathfinder across the board. The company said, “Pricing reductions across all grades for both models will boost affordability for customers facing a challenging car-buying landscape.” The Rogue is $640 cheaper to start.

Hopefully the price cuts will revive Rogue sales. The crossover is the brand’s best-selling model in the US, and it was the ninth best-selling vehicle in America last year, despite a 9.5 decrease compared to 2023.