Nissan IDx Is A Concept Car For Next-Gen Drivers

Word around the proverbial executive pow wow is that kids these days just aren’t interested in cars anymore. But Nissan thinks kids just don’t have the right car to be interested in, and so the Japanese automaker consulted over a hundred 14 and 15-year olds to help them design a new car. The result is the Nissan IDx Concept, which bears a striking similarity to the Datsuns of old.

Powered by one of several small engines that are meant to be both efficient and powerful, the Nissan IDx boasts both a pedestrian version and a turbocharged NISMO model. The Nissan IDx Freeflow will get something like a 1.2 or 1.5 liter naturally aspirated engine tuned for fuel economy, while a 1.6 liter turbo could provide an extra boost of performance for NISMO version for those feeling the need for speed.

There’s no mistaking the design though as anything other than inspired by the Datsun 510, the “poor mans E30″ in reference to the popular-but-often-expensive boxy BMWs of the 1980s that are in vogue once again. It speaks to the practicality of the car, offering ample seating and cargo space despite being a coupe. That said, you probably can’t fit more than a few medium-sized IKEA boxes in the back of the IDx concepts. With Nissan bringing back the Datsun brand as an entry-level automaker for developing countries, it’s hard to ignore the 80s trend that seems prevalent in car design and popularity.

The Nissan IDx is comprised mostly of composite materials to keep weight down, though the exotic stuff is likely to be the first to go on a production model. Affordability is the key to reaching the younger demographic these days, though coolness and connectivity is important too. The Nissan IDx is meant to truly be a car for the next generation, whereas Nissan claims cars like the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT-S are merely “midlife crisis” mobiles.

A production model could hit the streets in as little as three years, though that all depends on reaction to this initial concept. Nissan can count me among the handraisers interested in this ride…though by the time it comes out I will be in my 30s. Does that make it the Millennial midlife crisis-mobile?

Source: Nissan