Nissan could resurrect the Silvia nameplate on an entry-level sports car

We’ve heard rumors detailing a born-again Nissan Silvia — which was also known as the 200SX and the 240SX in the United States — for nearly 20 years. We’ve even seen concepts illustrating what it could look like. These rumors have never materialized, but executives are aware that the model continues to enjoy a loyal following, and Nissan revealed it hasn’t ruled out dusting off the nameplate at some point.

Ivan Espinosa, the brand’s vice president of global product strategy, told Top Gear that “a far-fetched idea would be something like a new Silvia positioned [beneath the GT-R] with good enough power at the right price that customers find attractive.” He added that “there’s a lot of Silvia fans everywhere,” and that bringing back the Silvia is his “dream.” It takes more than an executive’s comment to create a car, however.

Placing the next Silvia below the GT-R is a given. It has historically been positioned below the Z in terms of power and price, and it’s a little difficult to imagine Nissan launching a model above the GT-R. The current-generation car, which is on its way out, features 600 horsepower and costs about $223,000 including destination in its most powerful and most expensive configuration. Reading between the lines suggests the Silvia could return as Nissan’s answer to the Toyota GR86, the Subaru BRZ, and the Mazda MX-5 Miata and priced at about $30,000.

The problem is that the market for sporty, budget-friendly coupes and convertibles is shrinking. Toyota sold 11,078 units of the GR86 in the United States in 2023, a rounding error compared to the 1,928,228 cars it sold here that year. The model is no longer available in Europe as of earlier in 2024 because it doesn’t comply with new safety regulations, so Toyota can’t count on European enthusiasts to prop up sales.

In this context, can Nissan make a favorable business case for a new Silvia?

“The chances are there, but in the end it’s a business so I need to find ways to make this sort of proposal interesting to the company,” said Espinosa. “Sometimes cars like this do struggle a bit because the audience isn’t that big, but it can work if we find the right idea that can be run everywhere in the world. There is a chance. It’ll be a challenge, but it’s my job to find ways to do stuff like this because I think it’ll be great for customers and for the brand, and if I can put the right formula in place we could make it work.” Put another way: Never say never.

Nissan shelved the Silvia nameplate in 2002, when it ended production of the S15-generation model in Japan. This generation of the car was not sold in the United States. Its predecessor, the S14-generation Silvia, was available here as the 240SX through the 1998 model year. And while the S15 retired without a successor, the Foria concept (pictured) unveiled in 2005 showed what a replacement could have looked like.