One of the most famous nameplates in Japanese sports cars is the Nissan Silvia. For several generations, it delivered low-cost fun to enthusiasts in Japan, Europe, and even North America as the 200SX and, later, the 240SX.
However, Nissan discontinued the Silvia in the early 2000s. After a decade of rumors, Nissan has admitted it's working on a new Silvia. The news came from Nissan’s Vice-President of Global Product Strategy, Ivan Espinosa, who revealed the company was in the early stages of development.
Let's dive into what we know about Nissan's upcoming affordable sports car.
What Will It Be Called?
Silvia is most likely, but remember that it was previously sold as the SX in the U.S., so there's a chance it will have different names again, depending on where it's sold. Additionally, if it is pure electric or a plug-in hybrid, that might also play a part in its naming, perhaps SX-E or E-Silvia.
Gallery: Nissan Silvia Rendering
What Will It Look Like?
We think the Nissan IDx Nismo concept is a starting point for design. The IDx captured the essence of a small sports car with simple design language littered with retro cues and aggressive looks. Nissan showed off a restomod Silvia EV (see images below) that was pure electric. However, it was just a rendering. Nissan did have this to say about the car:
"Being an electric vehicle, it gave us the opportunity to extend the clean surfacing around the front because an electric powertrain has far lower cooling requirements, so there is no need for a grille where radiators are traditionally located.”
Our rendering uses the IDx concept as a starting point. Notice that we included exhaust pipes. Those will be required if the new Silvia is a plug-in hybrid. If it comes to us in pure electric form, the exhaust pipes won't be needed.
What's Under The Hood?
We’ve already mentioned electric power, primarily because Nissan suggested the new Silvia will have an electrified powertrain. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Silvia will be a pure electric car. It could be a plug-in hybrid. However, we doubt a regular hybrid is being considered.
Details like power output and range are unknown.
Who Will Build It?
Espinosa wants to keep the Silvia in-house at Nissan. However, he also acknowledged it would be difficult to pull that off, so perhaps other partners would be brought into the mix, and they could even offer their own versions of the Silvia then.
When Will It Debut?
The interview with Espinosa mentioned that we should see the Silvia by the end of the decade. We wouldn’t be surprised to see some camouflaged prototypes in 2026, leading to a debut two or three years later.
How Much Will It Cost?
Sticking to the classic Nissan hierarchy, the new Silvia will need to be priced below the Z. Currently, the Z starts at $42,920, not including destination charges. The least expensive Nissan EV is the Leaf at $28,140. We expect the new Silvia to be priced between those two, perhaps at around $35,000.
