I thought Nissan always said they couldn't make the FM small/light enough for it to be feasible in the segment. What would they build it on?
I seem to recall that same thing from a few years back, but I'd imagine that for the next Z, they'd be doing some kind of modular chassis that can work in a wide variety of sizes. That being said, its Nissan, and Toyota being their archrival, they'll likely try to come up with something sooner than later.
Either way, I hope they'll do it. Call it a 160SX, drop the 1.6T from the Juke under the hood and attach it to a six-speed manual, beat the Sicaru with something called "torque."
So, Nissan and GM sound like they're interested. How long until Ford and Honda decide to play along? What about the new MX-5? God, could you imagine the lineup?
* Toyota GT-86 (et. al): 200 BHP, 2.0L H4 - $25K
* Chevrolet Monza/Holden Torana: 197 BHP, 2.5L I4 - $20K
* Nissan 160SX: 188 BHP, 1.6T I4, $23K
* Ford Capri 1600GT: 180 BHP, 1.6T I4, $20K
* Honda S1600: 180 BHP, 1.6L I4, $25K
* Mazda MX-5: 170 BHP, 1.6L I4, $23K
There are problems, however. I don't see Honda playing along until everyone does, and the likelihood of that happening is quite low. If Honda does, they'll be the last to do it, and act like they've been planning this all along. But, considering that they'll be spending all this time and money developing the NSX for 2015, I just don't see it happening.
Ford probably wouldn't do it either. Between the Fiesta and Focus ST, and the incredible performance/price ratio of the V6 Mustang, they'd have no reason to. There just isn't enough room in the lineup, even though it'd likely be the best-looking option out there. Well, if they style it like the older ones, anyway...
The probability of a Monza/Torana I'd say is the highest out of all the possibilities here. Holden's been begging for a sub-Commodore for years, they've finally gotten the Alpha chassis, and I know GM will be looking to spread out it's use in order to lower costs. Although GM could get crazy and stick in the 1.4T from the Sonic/Barina, using the 2.5L from
everything would be cheaper, and give them the power figures they'd want.
It all comes down to whether or not these Sciarus sell or not. With strong first year sales, everyone will rush to the scene with something new.