It’s hard to believe 10 years have passed since Nissan unveiled this IDx at the Tokyo Motor Show as a conceptual entry-level sports car, with a Nismo version to boot. A decade later, there’s still no sign of a production version whatsoever. That said, there is a glimmer of hope a sub-Z model will be released one day, based on a statement made by the company’s product planning boss Ivan Espinosa in an interview with Top Gear magazine.
“Depending on which point in time you take, we’ve always had the GT-R, we’ve always had Z, and we’ve always had an entry [level car] – either a hot hatch like Pulsar, or something else down there [at that price and performance point]. And this today is something that we kind of miss. This [price and performance] point.”
As to which shape it would take, he suggested it wouldn’t be a hot hatchback like the Pulsars of yesteryear. It would have to be a “smaller electric sports car” and a “bit more affordable” to cater to customers in their early 20s. To lure in such a young clientele, Espinosa said the car would have to be “exciting and engaging to drive” while offering a Nismo derivative.
It would seem Nissan wants an electric rival for the likes of the Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ, and Mazda MX-5 Miata. However, it’s easier said than done since launching an entry-level sports car would mean it would have to cost less than the cheapest Z, available in the United States from $43,305. A sub-$40,000 electric sports car seems like a pipe dream for now considering even the cheapest GR86 is nearly $30,000 nowadays.
Domestic rivals are also thinking of hybrid and electric performance cars as the Japan Mobility Show hosted the premiere of the Honda Prelude, Mazda Iconic SP, and the Toyota FT-Se. Nissan attended the show with its very own spectacular concept, the Hyper Force, serving as a window into the GT-R’s inevitable electric future.
Back in September 2021, Vice President of Nissan Design Europe Matthew Weaver shared his work on a hypothetical Silvia revival (pictured above). It wasn’t long after that when a juicy rumor from Japan’s Best Car magazine speculated an electric revival of the nameplate as early as 2025. However, we took that report with a healthy dose of skepticism.
