Nissan’s NX was a short-lived North American sporty compact coupe that arrived for the 1991 model year and ended after 1993. It was Nissan’s answer to buyers who wanted something more distinctive than a basic economy car but still smaller and more affordable than a full sports coupe. The nameplate was offered in two main versions, the NX1600 and the more performance-oriented NX2000, with the latter becoming the better-known enthusiast model.
The NX was notable for its unusual styling and its removable T-top roof on select cars, giving it a semi-open-air character that set it apart from many rivals. Its design was developed with Nissan Design America involvement and shared its basic underpinnings with Nissan’s contemporary compact-car hardware, but the body and market positioning gave it a much more expressive personality. In spirit, it followed Nissan’s earlier small coupes and hatchbacks while pushing farther toward a youthful, driver-focused image.
Although the nameplate was brief, the NX earned a lasting reputation among enthusiasts for combining light weight, tidy dimensions, and a playful chassis with Nissan’s then-modern four-cylinder engines. The NX2000, in particular, became admired as one of the more interesting Japanese sporty compacts of the early 1990s, while the NX1600 served as the more accessible entry point. After 1993, Nissan did not continue the NX name in North America, leaving it as a compact but memorable chapter in the brand’s early-1990s lineup.