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Nissan IDX sports coupe future increasingly cloudy [w/poll]

There's a strong desire among enthusiasts for more inexpensive, lightweight, fun-to-drive, rear-wheel-drive cars to exist in a world that contrasts sharply with automakers' desire to make money. While we all love the feeling of controlling the back end with the throttle, front-wheel drive is king when it comes to affordable cars. One of the future bright spots in the rear-drive market appeared to come from Nissan with its pair of IDx concepts. The two showcars from the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show took liberal design inspiration from the classic Datsun 510 and mixed it with modern powertrains in very attractive little packages. However, some pretty dark clouds are reportedly now hanging over the project.
Last we heard, a production version was supposedly "in the plan" from the Japanese automaker, but its trajectory may have changed inside the company in the last few months. According to Pierre Loing, vice president of product planning for Nissan Americas, the issue is making the sports coupe profitable. While Nissan has access to rear-wheel drive platforms, they are all meant for more premium vehicles (read: they cost too much). Assuming around 60,000 annual sales, Loing tells Ward's Auto that making a dedicated chassis for the IDx just isn't a moneymaker. If the car still does see production, it'll be after 2016, he says.
The decision whether to build the IDx has been teetering for a while. Nissan spokesperson Dan Bedore previously told Autoblog that the coupe would need a groundswell of support from consumers and enthusiasts if is to actually have a shot at production. If you are among the hopeful looking to see this affordable, rear-drive performance car in showrooms, get some friends together and start letting Nissan know that you actually want it - you can start here by adding a Comment and voting in our poll, because we're going to send the results on to Nissan.

Renault gives rhinoplastic upgrade to Versa for Indian market

What do you call a Nissan Versa with a new nose and a home in the Indian car market? A Renault Scala. Given a chrome grille insert, the blacked-out crossbar common to Renaults and a few other "status-enhancing" tweaks, the Scala is Renault's fifth offering in India and rounds out its segment coverage.
The Scala is not only positioned as a sedan with value pricing and luxurious equipment, it is presented as a carriage for the chauffeured classes: best-in-class roominess, leather seating, rear vents for the climate control and two cupholders in the rear armrest attend to the boss in the back.
An 86-horsepower diesel and a 99-hp gas engine take care of matters up front. Available now in three trims, it joins the Pulse hatch, Fluence sedan, and Koleos and Duster SUVs in Renault's Indian line-up, and comes with Renault's CompleteCare service and 24/7 Roadside Assistance. Have a read of the press release below for more info.

Nissan gets new NA boss, lowered forecasts in management shakeup

José Muñoz, a Nissan and Infiniti sales and marketing vice president, will replace Colin Dodge as Nissan's new North America chief, come Jan. 1, as part of a wide-ranging management shuffle, Automotive News reports. Dodge will remain on Nissan's board, be assigned to special projects and report directly to CEO Carlos Ghosn.
Nissan is working on reorganizing its global operations into six regions, each with a new chief: North America (Muñoz' territory), Latin America, Japan-Southeast Asia, China, Europe and Africa-India-Middle East. Currently Nissan divides the globe into three regions, the Americas, Europe-Africa-India-Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Nissan also lowered its sales forecast from 5.3-million vehicles to 5.2 million for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2014. Last year, the company sold 4.914 million in the same period. In May, after Nissan's market share had fallen to 7.7 percent, Ghosn said he wants to double sales in the US by 2017 and increase its market share in the country to 10 percent.