“I think car manufacturers – in general – have forgotten the passion for cars,” Nissan’s Ivan Espinosa told Top Gear. And perhaps it is a chicken and egg story, because future buyers of cars are also less and less attracted to nice stuff: ‘It depends on the country, but you can see that young customers are less and less attracted to cars. ‘
The affable Senior Vice President of Global Product Planning – he’s actually responsible for Nissan’s future passenger cars – thinks this lack of enthusiasm from the youth is because no one is offering anything that can ignite that passion. And he has a (dream) plan for the future of Nissan: a cheap sports car.
Will Nissan release a new hot hatchback?
When asked if the company could offer a new hot hatch – like the old Sunny GTI-R – he tells TG: ‘I’m not sure about a hot hatch, but maybe a smaller electric sports car. A little smaller, a little more affordable. Certainly.’
He notes that Nissan has always had a three-pronged performance offering, and that’s something he wants to work towards. ‘Depending on the point in time you look at, we’ve always had the GT-R, we’ve always had the Z, and we’ve always had an entry-level model – either a hot hatch like the Pulsar, or something similar [van dat prijs- en prestatiepunt].’
No Nissan GT-R or Nissan Z in the Netherlands
“And that’s something we’re missing a little bit today.” Indeed, because in the Netherlands we do not have a Nissan GT-R or a Nissan Z. And while both models are available elsewhere in the world. The latter car – the new Z – is apparently doing very well. According to Espinosa, the coupe is selling very well and the reactions from buyers are positive.
‘How do we now move into the future: ideally – and this is my dream as a product planner – to keep these three elements as our sports car offering. A top-of-the-line GT-R with its Nismo variant, a Z with its Nismo variant, and an entry-level model with a Nismo variant as well. This could be a kind of ideal sports car offering,” the VP believes.
Nissan wants a cheap sports car for people in their twenties
He emphasizes again that he is not sure whether it should be a hot hatchback. He wants to have something that appeals to car geeks in their twenties. This new entry-level sports car should not only be ‘exciting and engaging to drive’, but also enable its young customers to connect – in the digital space through the car – with their friends and the community at large.
Also read: Honda is working on a new Prelude
“This is one of the things that can reignite the flame,” he adds. Of course, there are still some obstacles. If it is a cheap sports car with a petrol engine, then it is immediately too expensive in the Netherlands due to the BPM. And electric cars are by definition still a bit on the pricey side. We are curious to see what the future holds for Nissan.
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