Going away from their inexpensive roots is what caused the demise of the Z car... if the Z32 wasn't perfectly beautiful in its symmetry and performance, the ZX wouldn't have lasted as long as it did. Nissan saw that the soaring prices of what was once their "inexpensive sports car" were hurting the sales... they'd be dumb to make the same mistake (though I'm sure they will again, someday).
I love elitists who aren't really elite in any way... they amuse me greatly.