Nissan may be ready to take a page off Mitsubishi’s playbook as reports emerge that they may be using the Skyline name on either SUVs or electric vehicles. Yup, you read that right.
According to Nikkei Asia, this decision is due to the fact that Nissan is set to end development of all of its sedans in Japan, and will instead focus on SUVs (aka crossovers) and EVs.
Nissan has so far declined to give any comment on its future product development plan, but Nikkei Asia insiders say that the Japanese automaker has already informed its major suppliers of the plan.
Narrowing its product development pipeline will allow Nissan to invest more in SUVs and EVs.
The Skyline is Nissan’s oldest nameplate that’s still in production and boasts of a deep fan base. However, because there’s increased pressure from SUVs, Nissan is keen on tapping a wider userbase.
In addition, the carmaker’s Tochigi plant that makes the Skyline may be converted to produce EVs exclusively. Nissan’s all-electric SUV, the Ariya will roll out of that plant by the end of the year.
The Skyline, at least in sedan form is set to join the Fuga, Cima, and Sylphy in the automotive afterlife (in Japan at least). However, because of the strength of the Skyline brand, Nissan may resurrect it as an SUV or EV, similar to how Mitsubishi resurrected the Eclipse as the Eclipse Cross SUV.
Despite the sad news for Skyline fans, Nissan understands that sedans are still strong elsewhere in the world, and development may continue but only for overseas markets.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to comment or share your views. Comments that are derogatory and/or spam will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to moderate and/or remove comments.