Nissan rekindles talk of lightweight challenger to rival GT 86 & BRZ
10 Apr 2012|7,004 views
On-and-off are the words when it comes to Nissan's plan for a light-weight sports car with a small capacity engine. Nissan had previously shown interest as early as 2009 to produce a compact and lightweight sportscar but the plans were shelved indefinitely until now. The successful launches of the Toyota GT 86/ Scion FR-S and the Subaru BRZ lightweight sports car has created a more pressing need for Nissan to rethink its earlier plan. What's more, Nissan's design boss Shiro Nakamura told Drive that the company is even contemplating a 2.0 litre model that could see the 200SX/Silvia badge reborn.Nissan's last small sports car was the 2.4-litre 240SX, which was canceled in 2002. Since then, the company has produced the more powerful, but significantly heavier 350Z and 370Z. and its performance flagship car, the GT-R. All of this points to a gap in its line-up for a smaller, light-weight sports car and also falls into line with a general trend in the industry towards weight and engine capacity reductions.
Nakamura told Drive that reducing the weight of its next generation of sports cars is the top priority for the Nissan design team. This includes the 350Z and the 370Z, which could end up being powered by smaller engines as well. While Nakamura even joked about the possibility of a 200Z, he said that a 200SX could be a distinct possibility, though he was not prepared to confirm this.
On-and-off are the words when it comes to Nissan's plan for a light-weight sports car with a small capacity engine. Nissan had previously shown interest as early as 2009 to produce a compact and lightweight sportscar but the plans were shelved indefinitely until now. The successful launches of the Toyota GT 86/ Scion FR-S and the Subaru BRZ lightweight sports car has created a more pressing need for Nissan to rethink its earlier plan. What's more, Nissan's design boss Shiro Nakamura told Drive that the company is even contemplating a 2.0 litre model that could see the 200SX/Silvia badge reborn.
Nissan's last small sports car was the 2.4-litre 240SX, which was canceled in 2002. Since then, the company has produced the more powerful, but significantly heavier 350Z and 370Z. and its performance flagship car, the GT-R. All of this points to a gap in its line-up for a smaller, light-weight sports car and also falls into line with a general trend in the industry towards weight and engine capacity reductions.
Nakamura told Drive that reducing the weight of its next generation of sports cars is the top priority for the Nissan design team. This includes the 350Z and the 370Z, which could end up being powered by smaller engines as well. While Nakamura even joked about the possibility of a 200Z, he said that a 200SX could be a distinct possibility, though he was not prepared to confirm this.
Nissan's last small sports car was the 2.4-litre 240SX, which was canceled in 2002. Since then, the company has produced the more powerful, but significantly heavier 350Z and 370Z. and its performance flagship car, the GT-R. All of this points to a gap in its line-up for a smaller, light-weight sports car and also falls into line with a general trend in the industry towards weight and engine capacity reductions.
Nakamura told Drive that reducing the weight of its next generation of sports cars is the top priority for the Nissan design team. This includes the 350Z and the 370Z, which could end up being powered by smaller engines as well. While Nakamura even joked about the possibility of a 200Z, he said that a 200SX could be a distinct possibility, though he was not prepared to confirm this.
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