A New Silvia Would Have To Be A Real Sports Car, Nissan CEO Says
There's a revolution happening within Nissan's product planning division. With the GT-R no longer a part of the party—for now—the brand's lone sporty offering is the Z. It's a fun car; it turns out that Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa likes fun and wants more excitement in the company's catalog.
Nissan is definitely guilty of teasing the world with appealing models and then failing to produce them.
Espinosa wants to turn that around, though, and while that's bound to appease off-roaders with the introduction of a new XTerra, it's bound to please sports car fans even more. In addition to the big reveal that there will be a new Skyline, the CEO recently went on the record to all but confirm there will be a new Silvia, too.
For those less familiar with Nissan's sporty offerings, the Silvia was sold in the North American market as the 200SX and 240SX—in JDM parlance, it was popularly known as the S13, S14, and S15. It lived below the Skyline in Nissan's lineup and appealed to those who wanted a more entry-level vehicle with the fundamentals of a sports car baked into a somewhat practical body.
Silvia's big break was when the drifting scene got a hold of how perfect its dynamics and chassis balance were, and the rest is history.
Thankfully, the Silvia won't just be a hotter, sportier version of a Sentra or another Nissan model. Espinosa told Edmunds that he wouldn't want his company to build a "spicy Sentra," and instead, "I will probably go and make a Silvia — a real affordable sports car." We love to hear it.
Admittedly, that's not the full quote. Espinosa added, "I'm not saying I will do it," which effectively shields him from the board committing to the business proposition and the subsequent criticism from board members that would follow.
It's no secret that cheap sports cars are slim pickings these days, though with everything going digital, there is certainly something to say for relatively inexpensive, more analog offerings. The Mazda Miata, Subaru BRZ, and Toyota GR86 might not be lighting the sales world on fire, but they're important vehicles in the marketplace and especially to those who care about the fun of driving and the next generation of enthusiasts alike.
Hopefully, Espinosa and Nissan can make good on this pseudo-pipe dream and turn it into a reality.
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Based in Connecticut, Ross hosts The Hooniverse Podcast. He has been in the off-road world since he was a kid riding in the back of his dad’s YJ Wrangler. He works in marketing by day and in his free time contributes to Hooniverse, AutoGuide, and ATV.com, and in the past has contributed to UTV Driver, ATV Rider, and Everyday Driver. Ross drives a 2018 Lexus GX460 that is an ongoing build project featured on multiple websites and the podcast.
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