Carscoops: Nissan Concepts

Showing posts with label Nissan Concepts. Show all posts

Nissan to Show New Versa and a Motorsports Concept in New York, Infiniti to Announce New Addition to Range

One by one, automakers are revealing their plans for the upcoming 2011 New York International Auto Show. This time we have news from Nissan and its luxury division Infiniti. Starting with Nissan, the Japanese firm will debut a “new compact sedan” and a “new, zero emission motorsports concept”. While we have don’t have any information yet on the concept study, from what we know, the compact sedan will be the next generation of the Versa that was teased in an official sketch back in late 2010.

The Electric Zero Emission Sports car is not a new idea. There have been many concepts at many motor shows that have been loosely based on this concept. Although very few are designed featuring a tested and efficient drivetrain that's all ready in a production car. This is where the Esflow concept is unique.

The Esflow makes use of the same EV technology found on Nissan's first Zero Emission production vehicle, the all-electric Leaf. The concept behind the....concept is that driving efficiently and environmentally should be entertaining as well. The car aims to be the driving enthusiasts choice by blending electric power, dramatic styling and sporting qualities.

Leaving aside the name which sounds like something a German (no offense) would say to an English bloke that stole his parking space, Nissan's Geneva motorshow-bound Esflow concept is a very interesting proposal for a pure-electric sports coupe. It uses the Leaf's battery technology but with a lot more juice from the electric motors that motivate the rear wheels and a dramatic coupe styling. Following an initial release with photos and preliminary details (see here), Nissan has now published a CGI video of the sports coupe study that you can watch right after the break.

The time has come for Nissan to release its plans for the rapidly approaching Geneva Salon. For this year's edition of the show, the Japanese automaker has prepared an impressive sports coupe concept named the ESFLOW. It has most of the right ingredients to satisfy purists, including a rear-wheel drive layout, a 0 to 100km/h [62 mph] sprint time of under 5 seconds, two seats and an aggressive design, but there's a catch: it runs purely on electricity.

The Japanese automaker claims it has "captured the excitement of a sports car and the environmental benefits of an electric vehicle and blended them into one dramatic two-seater concept".

The ESFLOW has been created from the ground up as a pure electric vehicle using technology introduced in the Leaf EV. The concept model runs on two electric motors with an unspecified output that are placed above the axis of the rear wheels, in a mid-ship position. These motors independently control the left and right wheels, with Nissan claiming that the torque is optimized to ensure vehicle stability and control as well as efficient power regeneration.

At the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon 2011 with NAPAC (Japan Car Parts and Aftermarket Promotion Association), to be held from January 14 to 16, Nissan, together with Autech Japan and its in-house NISMO performance division, will premiere a total of nine vehicles.

We've already covered the Nissan Ellure Concept, so you've probably seen our gallery consisting of 55 pictures. However, those images don't do it justice. The swooping lines and sharp edges are not so evident, neither is the balance between the boomerang-themed headlamps and aggressive front grille. But fear not, even if you don't make it to the LA Show, you can get a better view of the Ellure through the video (and the live shots) we have added after the jump.

Besides dropping its Murano CrossCabriolet at this year's LA Auto Show, Nissan has also brought the Ellure concept. Nissan says the Ellure represents Nissan's commitment to the sedan segment, but not any particular upcoming model. If anything, take this as a 4-door design exercise that's "an ideal fit for the needs of its [potential] projected owners, women in their '30s and '40s with a sense of sophistication and rebellion."

The Ellure gets its "aerodynamic" on thanks to an underbody pan, covered 21-inch wheels covered with clear plates, and those sinuous curves. Also, the grille is inspired by a formal samurai coat, or Kamishino, while the rear takes cues from the Torii gates found on Shinto shrines (Nissan/Infiniti has been really good lately about integrating Japanese culture into their designs, don't you think?).

Nissan has unveiled a two-seater electric city car concept named the New Mobility Concept or NMC for short. If it reminds you of a recently seen model, then you've got a good eye, because the NMC is nothing more than a rebagded version of the Renault Twizy, which made its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show last month.

Here's our second part on the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show's "Design Challenge" with futuristic-looking lightweight concept models from Mercedes, Nissan, Smart, Toyota and Volvo. For the first group of concept studies, click here to check out our previous post.

Although Nissan didn't mention the Cube in its press release on the new Townpod EV concept, it's not hard to make the connection between the two cars. However, the quirky looking sub-compact study, which made its world premiere today at the Paris Motor Show, makes use of the same zero-emission technology found within Nissan LEAF in a tall van-like body with suicide-style rear doors and split trunk doors.

Truth to be said, Nissan's Juke has a controversial design that may not appeal to all taste - though, we'll take "controversial" over "bland" any time. And while we've yet to see any attempts to tune the crossover model, the guys over at Damnjdm commissioned this photoshop of a lowered Juke with deep-dish alloy wheels in a green shade and yellow-finished head lamps. Follow the break for a larger version of the picture and tell us what you think in the comments section.
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Nissan to Unveil Townpod EV Concept at Paris Show

At the 2010 Paris Motor Show, which opens on 30 September, Nissan will lift the wraps off a new electric car concept called the Townpod. The Japanese automaker will release full details at the show but for now, all we have about the concept model is this cropped photo of the front headlamp and Nissan's claims that "it combines eye-catching design with a spacious and practical interior," and that " it heralds a new-era of flexible, stylish vehicles that will bring electric-vehicle mobility to the masses."

It's officially official; Nissan today confirmed it will be rolling out the long-rumored convertible version of the Murano crossover named CrossCabriolet at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late November. And that's not the only news coming from Nissan's LA motorshow front as the Japanese automaker added it will also lift the covers off a new concept sedan model called the Ellure as well as the production version of the all-new 2011 Quest minivan, pictures of which have already been released.

As a rule, futuristic concept models of the likes of the Nissan Land Glider never see the light of production. But the Land Glider may very well be the exception to the rule as the Japanese automaker admitted from the beginning that it is actually thinking of producing the two-seater electric model. Furthermore, according to a new report from Automotive News, company insiders claim that Nissan is considering to add the narrow four-wheeler to the Infiniti brand lineup in global markets, including the U.S.

Takashi Nakajima, director of exploratory design for Nissan told the news site that the Land Glider could interest an array of buyers, including those looking for a safe alternative to a motorcycle or for a vehicle that is easy to park in congested cities such as Tokyo and Los Angeles.

The Land Glider concept that will make its world premiere at this week's Tokyo Motor Show can seat two passengers in tandem that are enclosed in a glass dome ceiling with power being provided by two electric motors at the rear. It's most unique feature is its tilting body that can lean up to 17 degrees for better cornering. Click here to watch the Land Glider in action.

Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Autonews

VIDEO: Nissan's Land Glider Concept in Motorcycle-Like Leaning Action

By far one of the quirkiest concept cars set to make their public debut at this month's 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, is Nissan's Land Glider concept. Part motorcycle, part car, all squeezed together in a package no wider than 1.1 meters or 43.3-in., the Land Glider can seat two passengers in tandem. It is powered by two electric motors at the rear but the most prominent feature of the pint-size concept is the computer controlled steering system that leans the car into the turns. You can see it in action in the video after the jump.

Tokyo '09: Nissan Says New Land Glider Concept isn't Just Another Design Study...

Perhaps the most interesting fact about Nissan's Tokyo Motor Show-bound Land Glider concept car is the that the Japanese automaker says that the two-seater electric model "should not be regarded as a mere design study" and that it "gives a clear direction to how a future small car from Nissan could look in congested cities." Then again, "clear direction" could be translated in many different ways...

In any case, the ultra slim Land Glider measures just 3,100 mm in length, 1,100mm in width and 1,415mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,180mm and can seat two passengers in a tandem layout.

The four wheeler concept is driven by two electric motors in the rear that are powered by lithium-ion batteries mounted beneath the floor. The concept features steering-by-wire and a lean capability when cornering - just like a motorcycle. The company claims that the vehicle can tilt through corners up to an angle of 17 degrees.

All of this is done automatically as the Land Glider employs sensors for vehicle speed, steering angle and yaw rate to instantly calculate the tilt angle necessary to "negotiate" a corner.

Other highlights include a car-robotics style crash avoidance system that utilizes special sensors mounted in the body to detect other vehicles or obstacles and steer the Land Glider away from them.

Nissan R-TX Concept Study for the Race-Track Enthusiast

One of the concept studies that caught our attention at the 2009 Degree Show at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, UK, was the Nissan R-TX that was penned by design student, Matt Jones. While the sports car's styling is heavily influenced by the Nissan GT-R, what makes this concept proposal pretty interesting is its modular construction.

What we, or rather Jones means is that the driver can remove the vehicle's front, rear and roof panels along with the wraparound front windshield transforming the R-TX from a road-going sports coupe to a KTM X-Bow-like track car.

The designer says that aside from lowering the weight of the sports car and (supposedly) improving its aerodynamics, a key aspect during the design development of the R-TX concept was the driver's emotions.

Source: Swansea University , Via: Carbodydesign