Nissan Could Revive the Silvia As An Entry-Level Electrified Sports Car

by Chris Teague

Published: September 6th, 2024

nissan could revive the silvia as an entry level electrified sports car

Remember the Nissan Silvia/240SX? Pepperidge Farm and the entire automotive internet remember. The cars, which can be seen sliding sideways at drifting tracks around the world, hasn’t been sold in the U.S. for quite some time, but a Nissan executive’s recent comments suggest that we could see a return of the iconic rear-drive coupe.

Ivan Espinosa, Nissan’s VP of Global Product Strategy, told the media that the automaker wants to add a third sports car to its catalog, which would join the Z and GT-R, though the latter is leaving the market soon. “I’m trying, as I said and I keep saying it in my brain, three sports cars in my line-up, a GT-R, a Z, and something else. And this something else in my brain is called the Silvia. Now, will we do it? I’m trying,” he said.

The car would likely land with an electrified powertrain, but what kind is anyone’s guess. Espinosa wouldn’t detail his thoughts on the configuration, but said that the company will look for a setup that has the greatest global appeal, saying, “You need to find something that can work globally in order to have enough scale.”

If Nissan pursued a new Silvia, it wouldn’t do so in collaboration with another automaker, like Toyota and Subaru did with the GR86/BRZ. Espinosa said Nissan has the skills and know-how in-house to create a dedicated platform for the car, but you shouldn’t expect anything of the sort to arrive soon. Espinosa said, “It’s not an easy case. It’s not easy because the sports car market is shrinking.”

[Images: Nissan]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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2 of 17 comments

Lorenzo on Sep 07, 2024
Yes, the sports car market is shrinking, but the 2-seater sports car was never a big global seller. The Silvia was a mid-size coupe with a usable back seat. That's what will sell globally. the mistake will be the electric drivetrain, too expensive for volume. Just put a reasonably economical ICE in it and do what it takes to make it handle like a sports car.

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Chris P Bacon on Sep 07, 2024
Espinosa said, “It’s not an easy case. It’s not easy because the sports car market is shrinking.” It's only shrinking because the automakers have killed it. It made more sense to kill sports cars, sedans, and entry level vehicles in order to force everyone to more profitable SUVs and taxpayer subsidized EVs. Nobody wants to build a lower margin vehicle that might grow market share and brand loyalty.

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