In this week’s Ask Nathan:
- Nissan may consider building something like the IDx concept?
- The upcoming all-new Chevy Bolt may be temporary?
This week’s first question comes from a fan who wants to know what happened to the slick Nissan IDx concept – among others. This post was from 2024 – but there’s something I can respond with today.
Q: RE: Concepts like the Nissan IDx and Nails need to come back and be produced!
Nathan I know you agree because you’ve written about both and you like both concepts. I do too and this is exactly what Nissan should do. Make both on the same front drive platform ditching the CVTs all together. Have them give you either a manual or six speed automatic transmission. They work fine for Mazda so why not? Make them simple, inexpensive and build them in Tennessee or Mississippi. Undercut everyone on price and use good warranty tactics like Hyundai did.
This needs to happen!
— H8BBC
A: Thank you for your patience, there’s some new information about the IDx.
Yes, the Nissan Nails concept is very cool as well, but I think it has less of a chance being made. On the other hand – Nissan boss CEO Ivan Espinosa seems to like the IDx quite a bit. This bodes well for fans.
For those of you who don’t know, the Nissan IDx concept was a bit of a retro throwback to the old Datsun 510s, 210s and so-on. Basically, a cool-looking boxy car that was aimed at the youth market. Some said it would never sell, or that it would sap Nissan Z sales – and this was back in 2013. Honestly, these people were dead wrong, and a vehicle like this could have helped a struggling automaker, more than a slew of boring small cars.
This is what Espinosa had to say about the IDx.
“I think (a car like the IDx) will serve many purposes. It would be a car that helps express the Nissan brand. Secondly, it has the potential to appeal to a younger demographic, as it is very important for an automaker to continue to attract younger customers to its brand. It’s not just about price, although price is certainly a factor, but there needs to be something compelling that makes young customers want to follow the brand.“
– Kuruma News and Motor 1
This was about a month back.
Now, I’m not saying that Nissan will build something like the IDx right away. Still, we have to look at what they’ve already done. Many people have had a kneejerk reaction to the new Sentra design, the Altima and Maxima are gone, and Nissan Versa will be going away too. Not much meat on the bone, right? Not even a real hybrid – for now. Nissan needs something new, and special – maybe this could be it?
— N
The last question comes from a fan who heard the same rumor we did: the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt is only here for a limited time.
Q: (Via: NathanAdlen@X/Twitter) What’s this I hear about GM already coming up with a replacement for the new Chevy Bolt?
It’s not even out yet but I heat a rumor that it is only going to be available for a few years before it’s replaced. What kind of lunacy is this?
May you see sunnier days
— F Brocher
A: It may be more than a rumor.
When we were at the reveal event for the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt, they (the GM reps) made sure we all heard that the 2027 Bolt may only be in the market for a brief time. They said it. No, there was no clarification from the PR team, and we were left with that as a big question.
We might have a few answers: if you look at the article posted by InsideEVs, specifically their interview with GM President Mark Reuss, you get a pretty good idea about what comes next for the Bolt – possibly in 2028.
In the interview, Reuss talks about being competitive with the Chinese EV market, and working hard on the new Lithium Manganese Rich (LMR) batteries with LG. This could be the moonshot in battery tech as it uses less precious materials, has better energy density, it’s lightweight and will be fairly inexpensive. As such, GM (who hinted at a new family of inexpensive Chevrolet Bolts), is seriously looking at a group of EVs that could hover around the $30,000-zone and have outstanding range. They may be called “Bolt,” but the idea behind these vehicles (even a possible small pickup) is in-line with what they need to do against Ford’s similar plan.
- – N
