Nissan 200SX Successor?
Just a few months ago, amidst the doom and gloom of tumbling car sales, we reported that Nissan put its GT 2012 plan on hold but it seems that things are changing, according to Auto Express anyway. Auto Express is reporting that Nissan is reviving plans for one of the models that fell under the GT 2012 plan, i.e. a new turbocharged 2-Liter 4 cylinder, front-engined, rear-wheel-drive (FR) sportscar to replace the Nissan 200SX (or Nissan Silvia as it was called in Japan) that as discontinued in 1998. According to Auto Express the small sports car will be a rear-wheel-drive two-seater roadster to rival the Mazda MX-5, the Honda CR-Z and the next Toyota MR2.
The still unnamed roadster will be built on the 370Z platform and will take its styling cues from the 370Z and the Nissan Urge concept, which made its world debut at the Detroit Auto Show in 2007. The sports car will be powered a new turbocharged 1.6-liter petrol engine that will feature Nissan’s new Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) Piston Crank System that uses a multilink connecting rod to vary the compression ratio. Under light load conditions, the engine will use a higher compression ratio and low turbo boost for improved thermal efficiency and fuel economy, but under heavy acceleration, the VCR system will shift to a lower compression ratio with higher boost pressure for greater power! According to inside sources, the engine will produce a maximum power in the region of 200 to 225 bhp, enough to propel the car from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 140 mph, while producing low CO2 emissions and a fuel economy of around 35 mpg!
According to Auto Express, Nissan hopes to keep the price right around $20,000 and hopes to have the car in dealers’ showrooms by 2011.
[Source: Auto Express]
Tags: 200SX, coupes, Detroit Auto Show, GT 2012, Honda CR-Z, Mazda MX-5, new cars, Nissan 200SX, Nissan 370Z, Nissan GT 2012, Nissan Silvia, Nissan Urge, roadsters, sports cars, Toyota MR2, turbo cars