Nissan working on Tiida special edition

It has been overshadowed at both the 2008 Sydney and 2009 Melbourne Motor Shows but the Nissan Tiida CST-R concept may see its way into a showroom. The unveiling of the GT-R, 370Z, Maxima and Murano conspired to steal the spotlight from the hot hatch concept at both shows.

Now though, the man behind the project has revealed to the Carsales Network that there are plans to turn the concept into production. Darren Holland, Brand Manager of passenger cars for Nissan Australia, revealed the CST-R could be used to stimulate Tiida sales as the model reaches the second half of its lifecycle.

The CST-R is fitted with upgraded suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels, Impul exhaust system, leather seats, satellite navigation, Bluetooth integration, iPod/USB connectivity and a bodykit.

"We're looking at it," admits Holland. "It would be a limited run we would do. Whether it makes it to market I don't know. We'll have to go through and look at the feedback."

Apart from the suspension and wheels Holland ruled out any significant performance modifications to turn the Tiida into a true GTI-fighter.

"We wouldn't look at doing much work to the performance. It would mostly be a styling kit," he says.

Tiida has proven to be a popular car to customise and modify among younger owners and Holland says the opportunity to produce an in-house version is appealing.

"There's no reason we couldn't do it ourselves and factory back it."

While no official go-ahead has been given and Nissan still officially describe the CST-R as a concept car, it appears the car is likely to go ahead with numbers already discussed.

"Wouldn't do anymore than a couple of hundred," Holland says.

The launch of the 370Z this week concluded a busy start to the year for Nissan; the company already tasked with bringing the GT-R, Murano and Maxima to market. With those out of the way, planning for the CST-R is likely to take an increased priority, but it is still unlikely to appear this year. A 2010 launch is more likely before the new generation Tiida arrives in 2011.

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