Shortly after the unveiling of the IDx Freeflow and IDx NISMO concept cars at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer said the concepts turned out to be such a hit that senior execs were already mulling which version to put into production, and that Nissan “definitely will do one of them.”

Since then, there have been doubts raised about the project’s viability, though no Nissan exec has come out and stated that plans for a small sporty coupe based on one of the IDx concepts were non-existent. Instead, we have more rumors of the development of an IDx, with Holiday Auto (via Motoring) claiming that a redesign is in the works.

According to an insider, Nissan envisages a more aggressive look for the production IDx, with heavy influences coming from Nissan’s Sport Sedan concept, which was unveiled at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show and previews the next-generation Maxima. Sadly, it means Nissan is likely to abandon the retro look of the original IDx concepts in favor of something more modern.

The mechanicals, too, are said to be coming in for a major shakeup. Nissan is said to be looking at using the next-generation Z car’s platform and a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter engine. The original IDx concepts were envisaged with sub-2.0-liter units with outputs boosted by forced induction.

Production is said to be taking place in 2017. If sold in the U.S., we’re likely to see the car as a 2018 model. Note, before that date Nissan will introduce next-generation versions of both the GT-R and Z sports car.

Stay tuned for an update.

_______________________________________

Follow Motor Authority on Facebook, Twitter, and Google +.