A 2013 Concept to Save Nissan?
AUTO: While he is leading a vast restructuring intended to ensure the survival of the brand, the boss of Nissan raises the possibility of finally giving life to a concept acclaimed by the public during his trade show tour
It’s no secret: Nissan is doing pretty badly. Sales crumble, factories close, waves of layoffs follow one another. The brand new Leaf is ready to enter the scene, but in a context where enthusiasm for electric vehicles is waning, it is undoubtedly not she who will give oxygen to the brand.
In an interview with Japanese media, Ivan Espinosa, the new boss of Nissan, said that what is missing today is an “image” car, capable of attracting a new generation of customers. However, according to him, a project from the recent past could have fulfilled this role: the IDx concept, presented to Tokyo in 2013.
Skyline or Silvia
Or rather the concepts: Nissan then unveiled two variants, the more “civilian” Freeflow and the sportier Nismo. Their neo-retro style, inspired by the early 1970s, echoed several Nissan coupes of the time: Skyline, Laurel, Silvia… The public loved it, but the boss at the time, a certain one Carlos Ghosn, was hardly a fan of neo-retro. The project was therefore put away.
Nearly fifteen years later, while their design has not aged a bit, these concepts could be reborn. Especially since, for several months, another rumor has been growing at Nissan: that of the return of the Silvia name. Not very evocative for us, it remains legendary Japan, in Australia and in the United States. Briefly Nissan finally questions its power of seduction, and that’s good news.
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