If there are still people out there that are clinging to hope that Nissan would eventually build an entry-level sports car to serve as the automaker’s answer to the Mazda MX-5 and the Toyota 86, better cut those strings now because the Japanese automaker has officially ruled it out due to economic reasons.
It’s disappointing news, but not one that comes as a shock. After all, Nissan has gone cold on the prospects of developing an compact sports car ever since Andy Palmer bolted for Aston Martin in 2014. Without its champion campaigning for the production of these cars, it seemed inevitable that the whole plan would be scrapped entirely.
Recent comments made by Nissan’s senior vice president, and chief creative officer, Shiro Nakamura, doused whatever ember was left of that fire. Speaking to Auto Express, Nakamura explained that prospective development of the sports car has been shelved entirely because the company couldn’t afford building a new platform specifically for the car. Certain concessions could’ve been made had the projects pushed through, but the platform wasn’t one of them. To make things worse, Nakamura also admitted that Nissan’s platform strategy isn’t where it’s supposed to be, so in effect, there really are bigger concerns in play for the Japanese automaker other than determining the viability of an entry level sports car.
Now is it safe to hammer the nails into the coffin of an entry-level Nissan sports car? At this point, that seems to be the direction Nissan is going, but if the auto industry has taught us anything, it’s that those coffins don’t tend to remain shut permanently. Just don’t expect it to be reopened anytime soon.
Continue after the jump to read the full story.
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