Nissan’s pair of IDx sports car concepts unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, the IDx Freeflow and IDx NISMO, proved such a hit that the automaker is now seriously considering putting one of them into production. The information was revealed by Nissan product chief Andy Palmer at this week’s 2014 Detroit Auto Show.
“One of those two will go into what we call our midterm plan,” Palmer told Go Auto, when quizzed about production plans for the IDx duo. “Now whether we do both remains to be seen--I am not saying that we won’t do both, but we definitely will do one of them.”
Palmer didn’t reveal any specifics about the project but did mention that the production IDx would fill the void left by Nissan’s former entry-level sports car, the 240SX (a Silvia to our international readers), something that's been rumored for years.
It’s too early to describe the car as a Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ rival just yet, as we don’t know any of the specifications. Both IDx concepts featured a rear-wheel-drive layout but the IDx Freeflow was said to feature an engine displacing between 1.2 and 1.5 liters and a CVT. The sportier IDx NISMO was also said to feature a CVT but a more powerful turbocharged 1.6-liter engine and paddle shifters for pseudo manual control.
As for how the production version will be styled, Palmer said the execution wouldn’t be too far away from what the concept.
Though both IDx concepts feature styling clearly influenced by the Datsun 510 of the 1960s and ‘70s, they were designed with input from millennials. The design process is said to have reached far and wide, from the basic framework of cars to the last details and finishing touches.
_______________________________________
