Nissan RWD Compact Sports Car On The Ropes Again

Nissan has once again confirmed that it will not be building a small, rear-wheel-drive sports car anytime soon.

The model which may have tackled the likes of Toyota’s 86 and the Mazda MX-5 in the sales-race would have sat below the current 370Z and GT-R models in the carmaker’s range.

But now, according to reports out of Europe, the small sports car plans have been returned to the shelf where they may sit for quite some time.

Cost is apparently the main culprit in killing off the new model, with Nissan’s Shiro Nakamura saying the company was only interested in building the model if the finished product was lightweight and competitively-priced.

“You need a proper platform because it has to be light and small and also affordable,” Nissan’s Shiro Nakamura said, speaking with Auto Express. 

“In reality that is not easy to find. It also has to be rear-wheel-drive - if we make it front-wheel-drive it would be cheating. It is expensive and we are struggling.” 

While the idea may be on ice for now, Nakamura said future platform developments may see it revived if that criteria could be met.

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