Do you remember the Nissan Silvia? Wouldn’t it be great to have this car on the roads again? Nissan has plans to launch a new Silvia in the near future.
The Silvia used to be the entry-level sports car from this brand. This makes some sense because the Nissan Z is too sporty and powerful to be direct competition for the Mazda MX-5 Miata, Toyota GR86, and Subaru BRZ, but something more subdued would be. Enter the Silvia, which could fill this spot and be the ideal entry-level sports car for the brand.
What will this new Nissan Silvia bring to the market?
Has Nissan missed the right timeframe?
Many automakers, including Nissan, are heavily focused on building hybrid and electric cars for the future. The new Silvia might end up being Nissan’s first electric or hybrid sports car, but it’s hard to know if that will be the case. In a world where electrified vehicles are becoming more commonplace, will Nissan lean into this tech and give a new entry-level sports car a modern powertrain? Had Nissan developed and released this car a few years ago, it could have been a simple car with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, but that time seems to have passed.
How long have we longed for a new Silvia?
Rumors of a new Nissan Silvia began as soon as the last version was discontinued. The Silvia 240SX was the car of the 1990s, and the name was discontinued globally in 2002. We have longed for a new version since it left the market more than 20 years ago, but the rumors have grown stronger in the past few years. These rumors grew stronger when a Nissan designer in Europe presented design sketches in 2021 to show his vision of a new electric Silvia.
Another challenge
Another challenge that Nissan faces in bringing back this entry-level sports car is the expiration of the current GT-R. The R35 generation ends after 2024, and Nissan says a new version is coming. Unfortunately, the new Nissan GT-R might not arrive for several years. This could mean that by the time the Silvia arrives, two of the three Nissan sports cars will be electrified. The GT-R time gap might require that it be a hybrid or electric model, not one that uses a gas engine alone. Of course, this won’t be an issue; many driving enthusiasts have already begun to see the benefits of hybrid sports cars.
A Silvia by the end of the decade
Recently, Ivan Espinosa, Nissan’s head of global production strategy, announced he is building a case to build a new version of the Nissan Silvia. His goal is to bring this car to the market before the end of the decade. If that’s the case, electrification will need to be included in some form. Many developed countries are embracing electric vehicles and have passed legislation requiring automakers to build and sell increasing percentages of these models before the end of the decade. In the United States, that goal is 50%, which makes an electric Silvia a sensible choice.
Will the Silvia be offered in America?
As with any car, one of the biggest questions we have is whether or not that vehicle will be available, offered, and allowed in America. Toyota built the GR Yaris but never released it in the United States, and Americans had to wait for the Toyota GR Corolla to have a new hot hatch from this venerable brand. This could be the same fate that faces a new Nissan Silvia, especially if Nissan chooses not to meet the strict regulations in America.
Hybrid makes sense
A hybrid version of the Silvia will likely make the most sense. Nissan has been working on its new e-Power system for a while, and using it with a small, turbocharged engine could give this entry-level sports car the right amount of power and efficiency. Additionally, a hybrid powertrain, especially a PHEV type, will meet the requirements and goals set for added electrification. This also gives drivers the benefits of a gas engine, which is faster fill-ups and continued driving with the wonderful sounds that come naturally from the exhaust system attached to an internal combustion engine.
While we wait
While we wait to learn if Nissan will add the Silvia to the mix and give the world the sports car name we long for, you can still enjoy the fun and excitement of the current Nissan Z and GT-R models. If the GT-R is to your liking, now is the time to grab it up and take it home; this car might be gone from the market for a few years.
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