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Nissan is considering a return of the Silvia but in an electric form. Here in the USA the last version of the Silvia was called the Nissan 240SX, a rear wheel drive sporty compact car popular with drifters. Sadly it’s more powerful engine options never arrived in dealer show rooms. It was a fairly popular model world wide for its relatively low price and fun handling. One of its main rivals was the Toyota Celica. Currently the electric car is still a low volume seller. But would a sporty compact 4 seater electric car help to usher in more electric buyers? We know electric has the benefit of instant torque. If they get the formula correct it could be a good buy. The suspension should live up to the sporty heritage. The software controls should have at 3 modes. One to extend miles per charge, one for normal driving, and one for a true sport driving. The range should make it a viable daily driver. Normal mode should offer slightly better acceleration than the average compact or midsize sedan in base form. Extended range setting should have acceleration slightly better than the average subcompact vehicle. Price point would also be a delicate factor. Eventual aftermarket would include changes to the software for better acceleration as well as suspension components. A return of a Celica in electric could follow the original evolution leading to a Supra based off the existing Celica. In the case of the Silvia, if successful, could lead to an electric Z or Skyline built upon the established foundation of the Silvia.
I’m not a hardcore all electric fan but I am a fan of innovation and more choices for the consumer. Would love to see something like this tried in at least one nation or continent. A world rally electric could be a test bed for endurance as well as advertising the teshnology.
I think more Truck and SUV options could help sales of EVs, however, because those are among the most popular types of vehicles in terms of sales. I also think anything that looks normal (i.e. not hideous like the Rivian) would help to boost EV sales as well.
Totally agree with you, I’m not really interested in EVs myself, but I am a fan of innovation and more choice.
My opinion, yes but that because I would buy it. Not sure about others. Sporty coupes have never really had stellar sales. They are mostly 2nd or weekend cars for most folks.
I consider myself to be a purist in the sense that I like a V8 engine with a manual transmission, but I also like performance. The potential with EV is big in terms of performance. Low center of gravity, ease of implementing AWD, instant torque, etc. It may not sound like a V8, but I think i can get over that.
The videos of the EV cobra jet Mustang drag racing a traditional gas Cobra jet are fun to watch to see the potential of the new tech. News of the next gen Mustang going hybrid excite me. There have been rumors of a patent surrounding a V8 engine with dual electric motors on the side of it that peak my interest. I own a few modified V8 Mustangs, but i would have no qualms about buying a hybrid or EV Mustang.
Of course, it needs to look like a normal car. I'm really not a fan of making EV's look like, well, EV's.
Last edited by BostonMike7; 09-10-2021 at 08:02 AM..
I'm largely in agreement with cowboyxjon. I like smaller, sporty cars, but they don't sell well.
Problem with truck and SUV EVs however is that they're highly inefficient (in terms of watts per mile) body styles. You end up needing to have a much larger battery for the same range, which drives up the purchase price. I imagine they're more palatable as ICE vehicles because you can pay for those higher running costs as you go.
americans are not buying cars. we went over this. all the OEMS save honda and toyota who want to own that market, are suvs and trucks. just because you put a battery in it, is not gonna make people go back to what they rejected before - save the ones with disposable incomes. since no one NEEDs electric its an impulse or virtue signalling buy.
That being said...the most popular vehicles...big trucks, have focused so much on putting creature comforts in a giant package that the trucks, are pretty useless as a truck. The pretty much standard F series or silverado today, is the same size as my sub, with the cargo area body top sawed off. so its basically a suburban or expo, where your goods get wet. I dont see the logic but its what sells. like hotscakes.
(I used to joke that when the explorer sport trac came out way way back when, the design session went like this: "You know, we like the size, room and looks of our explorer, but our suitcases just dont get wet enough.......")
yesterday I dropped the wife at the airport 0 dark 30 and someone with more money than brains had a model 3 parked in short term, long term. ($4/hr vs $16/day - I guess they wanted the short walk) Im sorry, its a mazda 3 for twice the price and the weight of an suv. I dont see these being top sellers ever - on any planet, in any reality. The masses are buying 'ravs'. make electric 'ravs'.
yesterday I dropped the wife at the airport 0 dark 30 and someone with more money than brains had a model 3 parked in short term, long term. ($4/hr vs $16/day - I guess they wanted the short walk) Im sorry, its a mazda 3 for twice the price and the weight of an suv. I dont see these being top sellers ever - on any planet, in any reality. The masses are buying 'ravs'. make electric 'ravs'.
Short term parking for $16/day? That’s cheaper than off-airport economy parking at the airports I use. On a business trip, I’d have no problem expensing $16/day for airport parking. The bean counters are used to $30+.
I could see owning a 2 seater hatchback performance EV if it were capable of occasionally towing 3,500 pounds short distances and 1,000 pounds on a trip. I had a VW GTI as my daily driver but it was backed by a body-on-frame SUV. If I can pull my boat a couple miles occasionally and tow a folding 4x8 trailer that stuffs upright in a corner of the garage for cargo, I don’t need the back seat or the big cargo area. I imagine that Europe where small cars and trailers is normal will make cars like this.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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That was the idea of the "Mustang" Mach-E. Sporty or not, the range anxiety is still keeping people from jumping onto the EV fad. The EV is great for the people that do a lot of local driving, but what fun is a sporty car in a city? A spirited driving experience means country and mountain driving, and that's where the EV still can't compete due to battery range limits. Last Saturday, for example, I did a day trip of nearly 600 miles, and no EV can do that yet, with the best Tesla at only 373 miles.
Yes, but not nearly as much as more pickups, SUVs, and crossovers would. Generally the more models offered in different segments, the greater the overall sales. I think pony cars and roadsters are pretty good for adapting to EVs as that would be a very low center of gravity and would offer a lot of flexibility in terms of offering usable interior volume such as with having a frunk or getting RWD or AWD without a transmission tunnel.
That was the idea of the "Mustang" Mach-E. Sporty or not, the range anxiety is still keeping people from jumping onto the EV fad. The EV is great for the people that do a lot of local driving, but what fun is a sporty car in a city? A spirited driving experience means country and mountain driving, and that's where the EV still can't compete due to battery range limits. Last Saturday, for example, I did a day trip of nearly 600 miles, and no EV can do that yet, with the best Tesla at only 373 miles.
The best Tesla is supposedly rated for 400+ miles with the Model S Long Range, though as a combined rating and due to the EPA test cycle, the actual range with mostly high speed highway driving is probably closer to 373 miles.
Most people do a lot more local driving than long distance driving. If your daytrip was nearly 600 miles roundtrip, then it's possible that the longer range vehicles might mean fewer stops than a comparable ICE vehicle because those who can charge at home can usually start with a full tank which would mean at most one dedicated charge up session on the trip. Depending on where you're visiting, if they have chargers, then it could be zero dedicated charging session which would do better than your possible one or two fuel stops for an ICE vehicle depending on the vehicle and how much gas you started the day with. Where that gets tricky is when you are either towing which cuts range severely and generally even more so than for an ICE vehicle or if you're going well over 600 miles.
Trucks and SUV's with long range is probably what people are waiting for. Tesla's sell remarkably well all things considered.
Fast charging on standardized systems would sweeten the pot a lot. Gas drivers don't have to seek out particular gas stations with compatible gas. Filling up takes around 5 minutes.
Sitting around waiting for your car to charge at a place you hope you can find nearby requires a shift in mentality that I'm not sure everyone's up for. More charging stations are always being added, but the overall experience of charging your car should be the same across the board. Same amount of time, same way to pay. I don't want 20 apps on my phone for every different place that might be out there.
Offering sports cars seems way down the list in a society that doesn't buy many sporty cars anymore.
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