Nissan confirms IDx for production

Nissan will produce at least one of the IDx concepts shown at the Detroit auto show. Vice president Andy Palmer said at the show, “Don’t say that we won’t do both, but we will definitely do one of them.”

That statement confused us a bit, especially with the positioning of Nismo as upgraded versions of the company’s normal cars. Surely, the Freeflow could be repainted and improved into a Nismo version.

Like we told you earlier this week, the Freeflow could sport either a 1.2- or 1.5-liter gasoline engine mated to a CVT (Noooo!). The IDx Nismo, on the other hand, would be a little peppier with a turbocharged 1.6-liter, probably making around 200 hp, similar to the mill in the Juke Nismo.

“It’s very lightweight, so it’s a relatively small engine,” said Palmer. “You get a lot of fun with rear drive.”

Palmer also said Nissan hasn’t decided to include a manual, (a CVT would completely defeat the purpose of the car, at least in our eyes) but he also says, “I would expect some kind of paddle shift. … There’s plenty of ways of executing a manual feel these days.” (Nooooo!) With Nissan naming the BRZ/FRS cars as its rivals, we would argue against that last statement vehemently.

“What I really expect is that, when I was a lad, I aspired to a sports car as a bit of a bad boy, and what I’m really looking for is to inspire that same positioning for kids who are coming through today who apparently aren’t that interested in cars. We have to re-engender that excitement for motor cars,” said Palmer.

That statement, however, we do agree with. We’ll keep following this until the cars are in your driveway, hopefully with a short-throw six-speed and a sub-2,900-pound curb weight.

The North American International Auto Show, known to most as the Detroit auto show, continues to serve as a barometer for the entire industry. This year, we'll expect to see the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the 2015 Ford Mustang and the BMW M3 and M4. The 2014 Detroit auto show is held at Cobo Hall in Detroit, MI and is open to the public from January 18-26.

By Jake Lingeman