Nissan’s Toyota 86 Fighter is On Hold Yet Again

Nissan has reiterated that plans to bring out a small sports car to compete with the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota 86 have been put on hold. 

At the recent New York Auto Show, Nissan executives confirmed to Auto Express that the GT-R and the Z sports car will both remain in the range, but plans to add a smaller sports car with a cheaper price tag have been shelved.

The issue according to Nissan senior VP and chief creative office, Shiro Nakamura, is the lack of a platform and the costs involved with developing a new one. “You need a proper platform because it has to be light and small and also affordable,” said Nakamura. “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.”

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The idea of a small sports car was put forth most recently in the well-received IDx concept. Those wishing for a production version of the concept still have some hope though. “If we can find a good solution to produce something more affordable and light, we can bring it back,” he said.

Both the Toyota 86 and most recent Mazda Mx-5 were the result of collaboration between two companies, a strategy that helps both automakers split the cost of developing such a niche platform.

[Source: Auto Express]

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