2025 Nissan S16 Silvia could adopt electric power

An all-new 2025 Nissan S16 Silvia is rumoured to be in the works, but may swap its typical turbocharged petrol engine for a fully-electric powertrain.

Better known in Australia as the 200SX, the Silvia is one of Nissan’s most iconic vehicles, being positioned as an entry-level sports car below its Zed models and the flagship Skyline GT-R.

Now, Japanese publication Best Car is reporting a new Silvia is on the drawing board from Nissan, just months after Europe design boss Matthew Weaver revealed retro concept drawings inspired by the original Silvia of 1964.

7

Above: Nissan Europe's Silvia EV rendering. Top: Best Car rendering of a future Silvia EV.

"By redesigning this car for the future, we wanted to pay homage to that heritage,” Weaver said at the time.

"Being an electric vehicle, it gave us the opportunity to extend the clean surfacing around the front because an electric powertrain has far lower cooling requirements, so there is no need for a grille where radiators are traditionally located."

While details of the Silvia’s platform or powertrain have not been outlined, it’s possible the sports car could adopt the same electric motors from the upcoming Nissan Ariya. In two-wheel-drive form, the Ariya has up to 178kW and 300Nm – a healthy upgrade from the 147kW/265Nm offered in the S15 200SX sold in Australia up to 2002.

7

"The key components of an electric vehicle are quite different and they can be packaged differently, compared to an internal combustion engine car,” Weaver said.

“Consequently, the Silvia we've reimagined here would have a larger interior than its exterior dimensions would suggest.”

With the S12 Silvia of the 1980s (badged as a Gazelle in Australia) being a direct competitor to the Toyota AE86 Sprinter, perhaps Nissan is finally looking at bringing a car to market which can fight the AE86-inspired Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ.