Nissan Silvia making a come back?

Nissan is preparing to take on the Toyota/Subaru alliance with the launch of a sub-2.0 liter sports coupe. The future small sports car will be based on the new Z-car platform and will be powered by a 2.0L NA, or possibly a 1.6 - 1.8L turbo engine.

The biggest news is that Nissan are aiming to beat Toyota and bring their new FR sports competitor to market in the second half of 2010. Nissan have acknowledged the lack of an entry level sports car to appeal to younger buyers and this new FR based coupe is being designed with “enjoyable handling” in mind to keep them from turning to other manufacturers.

The size of the car closely resembles the previous S15 Silvia, the new FR coupe’s dimensions being 4350mm in length, 1750mm in width and with a wheelbase identical to the the new Fairlady/350 Z platform of 2550mm. As with the Toyota/Subaru sports car, the new Nissan compact FR sports coupe will attempt to keep weight at a minimum, although the extent of which is unknown at present.

The 2.0 liter engine will deliver around 150 hp in high compression mode, with anything up to 225 hp in low compression turbocharged mode.