Nissan compact rear-drive concepts unveiled

Nissan has revealed a pair of concepts at Tokyo which hint at a possible future compact rear-drive coupe.

Designed mainly at the manufacturer’s studio in Paddington, the dual concepts - the IDx Freeflow and the IDx NISMO - are intended to highlight the potential for personlisation as Nissan strives to engage with younger buyers.

Nissan claims this style of engagement with future consumers is now a prerequisite for market success, and is the reason why the brand has sought to distance the concepts as its answer to the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT86.

 

The Freeflow, in particular, is a step in a different direction; it's intended more as a lifestyle companion rather than a hard-charging coupe. Nissan envisages it being powered by its 1.2 and 1.5-litre engines that transmit power through a CVT. Inside, you'll find dramatic highlights and trim that Nissan says is influenced by the pairing of a white T-shirt and khaki chinos.

 

Inevitably, the Nismo is cut from a different cloth. Half a meter wider than the Freeflow, it features carbon panels and sports a side exhaust, as well as 19-inch wheels. Underneath, the brand proposes its familiar DIG-T turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine (again mated to a CVT) as the likely powerplant.

 

Officially, both IDx machines are show cars in the truest sense, but sources in the company suggest that the company is serious about the idea of a compact coupe, and will be closely gauging the public’s reaction.