Would a New S-Chassis Car Be Succesful?

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Hi everybody,

there's a train of thought I've been pondering for a few days now.
Basically: Why doesn't Nissan revive the Silvia/S-Chassis? A small, relatively light and cheap entry-level sports coupe with a decently powerful fourcylinder engine and rear wheel drive.

A convertible version would also make a fine contender to the Mazda Miata/MX-5.
That would also kind of dictate the price: The convertible around the Miata's price level, the coupe a little lower, I think. It would, therefore, not compete with the 370Z, either.

Now, I'm fairly certain it won't happen anytime soon, but, with Toyota presenting the FT86 and all, wouldn't it be profitable to do so?
Or rather, why would the guys at Nissan think it wouldn't be worth making?

A cheap, sporty, rear wheel driven coupe, that's one of the things thats lacking in the automotive market right now, I think, I can't fathom why Toyota would be the only company to capitalize in this.

I just don't get it, I guess.
 
Nissan has the brand image to do it. I think they could sell one. I would actually be surprised if they don't try something when the FT86 comes out (and if it seems to sell).
 
There was an 'S16' designed a few years ago, it even got as far as being built and tested, but the project got canned. It's highly unlikely they'll bring it back, but I for one as a drifter am always hopeful.

That said, even if they do bring it back now, it won't be the same car it 'was' in the s13, s14, s15 years. There certainly will be no SR20, and rather than being an evolution of the S-Chassis, it will be something entirely new due to all the regulations that have changed between now and the time the S15 was initially designed, some 14-15 years ago.

I guess I'll just have to set my sights on an FT86 instead. To be honest, with a 2-litre engine, and looking at the size and layout, it'll probably be more like an S15 than an AE86 anyway :D
 
Nissan has the brand image to do it. I think they could sell one. I would actually be surprised if they don't try something when the FT86 comes out (and if it seems to sell).

This, nissan has always been the sportier brand really and if Toyota is doing this, Nissan should too
 
Simple answer is that no one at Nissan has been able to make a business case for it.

Making any product is a matter of gauging investment versus potential profit. It's not a simple case of asking, "how many people will buy it?" but also asking, "can we produce and sell these things at rate that allows us to recoup our investment and turn a profit?" AND (perhaps more importantly), "can we make something else instead that is either a safer return or generates more profit instead?"

Even mighty Toyota Motor Corp. is splitting development costs with Subaru in order to justify the expense of the FT86 platform.

Nissan would also have to be concerned not only with cannibalizing 370Z sales, but also the $22,000 Altima coupe. "But the Altima is FWD" you might say and therefore is a different kind of car aimed at a different buyer. Both true, but the sad fact is that enthusiasts only account for a tiny fraction of the car buying public and it is rare for car companies to cater to us. Even Miata buyers are not necessarily enthusiasts and a large portion of them probably aren't.

I don't doubt that someone at Nissan has thought about it. Maybe a cut-down and decontented version of the FM has been discussed. Maybe they're even waiting to see if the FT86/086a does well in the marketplace before they green light such a product.


M
 
It will all depend on how well the FT-86 and Subaru Coupe sell. Like others have said, the Altima Coupe and 370Z both play a pretty critical role in whether or not it could even happen in the first place, but seeing as how Hyundai has done quite well with the Genesis Coupe, and Ford is looking to do a possible 2.0T Mustang in the near-future, the affordable RWD coupe segment is alive and well once again.
 
First off, thanks for contributing, guys. I've been away for the weekend, so I didn't manage to post in here :D

Simple answer is that no one at Nissan has been able to make a business case for it.

M

Well, that's kind of what I thought. Maybe I should've phrased my question more along the lines of 'Why doesn't Nissan think a nes S-Schassis car would be profitable?' or something.
Granted, I didn't think of the Altima when I created this thread... Maybe it's just hard to fathom for me that people wouldn't flock to a cheap RWD coupe witth decent power like moths to the flame.

I know I would :D

But I guess we'll see what happens once the FT86 goes on sale.
 
Nissan has no plans to bring the S chassis back. The 350z was more or less the replacement for the S chassis.

Even if they did, it would need to fill a slot between a 350z and the previous S15, which doesn't really exist, a next gen Silvia would pretty much end up the same place the 350Z started.
 
Even Miata buyers are not necessarily enthusiasts and a large portion of them probably aren't.
Most Miata buyers are looking for a small, cheap, fun convertible, which is exactly what the car is. You're right that only a small fraction are actually performance enthusiasts, and that's why the two-seater car has four cupholders.

You're probably spot-on about why Nissan won't make a smaller sports car. Even to make something to compete with the Miata is risky business simply because a Miata is a Miata - as hard as GM tried, their most recent attempt at that market hardly put a dent in the Miata's market share. For any company to attempt that would be foolish, unless the Miata was going through a though time for some reason.
 
Maybe I should've phrased my question more along the lines of 'Why doesn't Nissan think a nes S-Schassis car would be profitable?' or something.

I thought I covered it. Not enough potential buyers. Too big a risk. Already have two, even three products to address market. Money could be better spent elsewhere. There is also the question of competition in this segment, which I didn't think of earlier --not only directly from Toyota and Subaru, but from Ford and Chevy with their pony cars, at least in the US market.

I think there is probably a disconnect between your perception of how large the current market is for this product and Nissan's perception.


M
 
I don't think tooo many car companies are going to produce a sporty car much longer. Given the fuel concerns, and the economic state of a lot of large businesses, it seems like everyone is trying to 'go green.'

An S Chassis will never be what the old ones were, lightweight, with a good powerplant. And if it was anything reasonable, we probably wouldn't get a good one in the states...
 
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