No Toyota 86 Fighter for Nissan

Nissan IDx NISMO Concept (Credit: © Nissan)

Since debuting the IDx concepts at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, there have been rumblings of Nissan producing a small sports coupe to compete with the Toyota 86—previously known as the Scion FR-S. Though Nissan never outright admitted the IDx concepts would make it to production, the automaker never outright denied it, until now.

At the New York Auto Show, Auto Express had a chat with Nissan’s senior vice president and chief creation officer, Shiro Nakamura. During the conversation, Nakamura told the British publication that the idea of a small sports coupe below the GT-R and Z has been “put off” due to the costs associated with producing the smaller chassis.

Admirably, Nakamura said that Nissan could create a small, light, and affordable sports coupe, but it would have to use a front-wheel-drive chassis, which he rightfully called “cheating.” While it is sad to hear that there won’t be a model to push Toyota into actually improving its 86, I do have to tip my hat to him for understanding that such a car must be rear-wheel drive.

While the idea of a small sports coupe is shelved, for now, there are two good bits of news to come from this report. First, Nakamura said the GT-R and Z will be around “for ever” [sic]. Second, the senior VP said that this project could make a comeback once Nissan develops a new range of platforms in coming years.

We’ll continue to monitor this situation and bring you updates as they become available.