There’s suddenly an enthusiast in the driver’s seat at Nissan, and sports car fans should be celebrating—or, at the very least, taking notes.
On Tuesday in Yokohama, Japan, Nissan President and CEO Ivan Espinosa told The Drive, “The sports cars are the core of what we are as a company.” This came seconds after being asked if the Silvia fits into Nissan’s future plans, to which Espinosa replied, “…it would, if I could, soon, you know.”
Espinosa said, “The priorities today, as we were saying this morning, is [to] conclude the plan, the Re:Nissan. Then we have announced what’s coming after,” referring to a family of body-on-frame vehicles including the revived Xterra SUV.
But it’s not just the Silvia name Espinosa could tap if the automaker started bringing more sports cars to the lineup. “We’ve been there doing that for many generations (referring to sports cars), and there are multiple nameplates that we could leverage on. And of course, if you ask part of my brain, I would love to do that very quickly. But the other part of my brain is telling me that we have to be prudent at the moment and go step-by-step,” Espinosa said.
Immediately following the responsible, well-balanced reply, Espinosa smiled and said, “But for sure we will see more sports cars coming into the portfolio.”
Espinosa didn’t elaborate or explain what forms those sports cars might take on, but today, as it stands, Nissan showrooms have one sports car: the Z. “Maybe at some point we could see some other nameplates being added into the sports range,” Espinosa said.
Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America, Ponz Pandikuthira, told The Drive on Tuesday in Yokohama, “[Espinosa’s] a big fan of accessible sports cars,” adding that, “He’s looking for the lightweight affordable sports car that the Silvia was back in the day. And he’s talked about this several times, well, before he was a CEO. So I think if there’s a guy in this company who could find a way to bring a sports car like the Silvia back, it’s him.”
So you’re telling me there’s a chance? Enthusiasts, best sound off in the comments and across the Internet. Nissan is clearly listening.
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