NISSAN WANTS TO REVIVE ITS MOST ICONIC JUNIOR SPORTS CAR
- Nissan executive says he'd love to bring the Silvia back to cater to affordable sports car fans.
- While unconfirmed, a new Silvia would be positioned beneath the GT-R.
- More hints that the GT-R is going electric for the next-generation.
When it comes to reviving iconic nameplates, Nissan fans would love to see the Silvia make a return. While sports cars aren't priorities for most automakers, Nissan's Vice President of Global Product Strategy, Ivan Espinosa, told Top Gear that there's a chance the sporty coupe could return.
Asked whether there's room for an affordable sports car, Espinosa said, "A far-fetched idea would be something like a new Silvia positioned (beneath the GT-R) with good enough power at the right price that customers find attractive. And there's a lot of Silvia fans everywhere. As soon as I say the name, people start nodding. This is my dream."
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The Silvia's Return Isn't Confirmed, But We All Want It Back
But, dear JDM fans, before you start salivating, this is not a confirmation of a new Silvia. Espinosa says there's always a chance, but gearheads must remember that Nissan is a business, and any new car will have to make sense to the bean counters. "Sometimes cars like this do struggle a bit because the audience isn't that big, but it can work if we find the right idea that can be run everywhere in the world."
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In the United States, Nissan sells just two sports cars: the Z and GT-R. The lineup is dominated by SUVs, pickups, and crossovers. Soon, the Z will be the sole performance offering, with the GT-R finally being retired after many years of scaring European supercars. The Silvia would plug a gap in the lineup and, with hybrid technology, could even rival the new Honda Prelude, which was recently confirmed for production.
"We cannot do these products regionally or as one-offs because it just doesn't make sense. But there is a chance. It'll be a challenge, but it's my job to find ways to do stuff like this because I think it'll be great for customers and the brand, and if I can put the right formula in place we could make it work."
- Ivan Espinosa, Nissan Vice President of Global Product Strategy
What About The New GT-R?
Espinosa also shared some hints regarding the GT-R, which is touted to go all-electric for the next generation. When asked about track-focused EVs (like the new Xiaomi SU7 Ultra), the Nissan executive said they're great fun when tuned properly for the track. Acceleration out of corners is quicker than ICE-powered machines. "With a GT-R, this could be a good thing since it's a car that's easy to drive on track because of the systems it has, and you can deliver that same experience with an EV," he added.
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The prospect of an electric hypercar will also excite gearheads. Nissan says before this happens, it will need to get "the batteries to the level where we can package them properly because they're super low, so you need very high density." If Nissan introduces something like this, it will arrive later this decade using solid-state battery technology. "I'm hopeful that we can start seeing them applied to some sort of hyper-EV," added the executive.
2024-07-23T21:15:35Z dg43tfdfdgfdSource: Top Gear