The Qazana follows Nissan’s theme of making crossover vehicles and is a baby brother to the Qashqai, being a compact 4×4 SUV that is closer in size to a compact hatch or supermini.

It has outrageous looks that any concept car would be proud of, but Nissan is apparently looking to put the car into production resembling the concept as closely as possible, which is rare, (and good to see) and it is expected to be built alongside the Nissan Qashqai at the companies Sunderland factory when production of the current Micra finishes there in 2010.

The Qazana is apparently inspired by both motorbikes and dune buggies, and has a few styling cues from the current Nissan range such as the boomerang lights from the 370Z. some details such as the huge tyres will not make production ,but apparently the showroom version will look very similar to this when it is launched in 2011.

It has stylish leaf shaped solar cells integrated into the glass roof. The Nuvu seats 2 in the front with a 3rd rear seat available in the back, but it is more of a 2+1 than a 3 seater. Nissan is currently investing heavily in electric cars and we expect to see one, if not this particular model, arrive into production very soon, with the forthcoming Leaf EV model and perhaps more mainstream models like the Nissan Micra also adopting the styling.

Nissan’s Forum concept car was first unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, and is in its simplest form a Minivan or MPV, that Nissan has brought upmarket with use of a stylish, luxurious interior, and swivelling captains chairs.

The Forum focuses on in-car entertainment with each individual seat having access to its own info-tainment system to keep passengers occupied on longer journeys, and also allows those in the front seats being able to monitor those in the back via the use of 2 small rear facing cameras, meaning parents can keep an eye on their children without turning round all the time. .
As the car was very much still a non running concept at the show, Nissan had not named a Power plant, but the car could possibly run a diesel or hybrid motor. Design is likely to influence the US and Japanese market models more than the current European offerings like the Nissan Qashqai.

This is another of Nissan’s concept cars aimed at the youth market. The Round Box concept car was first shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motorshow, and is is effectively a super-mini sized hatchback convertible with a strong B-pillar and a removable solid hardtop.

Nissan designers described the car as such: “Round Box represents a new take on open-air motoring, providing exhilaration for all passengers – not just the driver – through its uniquely shared experience of fresh air stimulation, a sensation of speed and easy-to-use high-spec features.”

It has just 2 over-sized doors with frameless windows, and small extra glass windows at foot level to allow a view of the tarmac rapidly passing by, The Round box concept is not slated for production, but some of its styling cues may make an appearance on future models, maybe infulencing the new Nissan Micra.

The Nissan Pivo 2 is a concept car shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motorshow, and it takes the original 2005 Pivo concept and builds on it. It is a futuristic all-electric city car that is capable of rotating its entire centre cabin by 360 degrees to allow the drive to travel both ways, removing the need for a reverse gear, it also allows the wheels themselves to turn through a full 90 degrees making parallel parking easy.

The Pivo 2 features a friendly little robotic “agent” with a head built into the dashboard to that talks to the driver to keep them company on a journey. – sounds a little weird! The concept is said to be powered by lithium Ion batteries and electric motors, but it is more a futuristic statement of ability rather than any form of exploration of styling, so we wont see anything like this reaching small production models like the Nissan Micra.

The Nissan Mixim is designed to appeal to the Youth market and is a compact hatchback for the supermini category, rivalling Toyota’s Scion Brand. The Mixim has a single central front seat for the driver that can swivel for entry / exit and 2 rear seats for passengers, and a huge LCD display that can apparently display a virtual representation of the front wheels that actually turn in real time with steering inputs perhaps to make the experience feel more like a video game.

The exterior styling is definitely out there, but a few sections do show the way forward in terms of styling for the brand, such as the strong roof-line merging into the C Pillar in the style of the new Nissan GT-R.

The concept car does not run officially, but power is claimed to be from fashionable lithium-Ion batteries,and is claimed to have a top speed of 111 mph and last 150 miles between charges. it would be great if we could see models like this influencing future design direction on traditional models like the Nissan Qashqai.

]]> http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/2009/10/nissan-mixim-concept/feed/ 0 http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/2009/10/nissan-terranaut-concept/ http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/2009/10/nissan-terranaut-concept/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:22:29 +0000 admin http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/?p=685

The Nissan Terranaut was a concept car designed for the 2006 Geneva Motorshow and according to Nissan, it was designed for “scientists, geologists, archaeologists or adventurers whose office is the great outdoors.” The car itself has a rugged 4×4 appearance, with a futuristic interior.

The interior shots are very much space age and have a strong hint of Star Trek about them, particularly in the rear, where traditional seats are removed for a supposed scientific workstation where a centre seat revolves inside a circular computer workstation. This is all good looking window dressing that is great on a show car, but obviously will not make it into showrooms, as there aren’t that many space station scientists looking for a car!

As we have said, the interior won’t make production, but the exterior gives strong hints to the design language of future Nissan 4×4′s and is said to heavily influence the next Patrol and Nissan X-Trail in particular.

]]> http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/2009/10/nissan-terranaut-concept/feed/ 0 http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/2009/10/nissan-intima-concept/ http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/2009/10/nissan-intima-concept/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:20:48 +0000 admin http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/?p=687

The Intima was designed for the Tokyo Motorshow in 2007, and takes Nissan’s American luxury car design language and stretches it to the size of a Mercedes S-Class. according to Nissan’s designers it “takes Nissan’s Modern Living Concept into a new dimension with an interior that invites passengers into an extraordinary world of artistic forms, materials and illumination”

The concept car has all the typical luxuries you would expect in a Limo sized vehicle of this type, even its own range of fragrances and accessories. Nissan describes it as follows “A New-generation Saloon for People with a Sophisticated, Discerning Eye for Beauty – Who Enjoy Spending Time in Refined Elegance and Comfort, Whether Traveling Alone or with a Partner.”

According to Nissan it has “Exterior styling that matches the interior’s artistic image, with a design that combines sharp-edged lines and organic panel surfaces. Rich elegance is conveyed though Intima’s arching side character line, while the crystal-like appearance of the front and rear lamps, grille and wheels project an image of superior quality and refinement reminiscent of jewelry.” Whether we will actually see a car from in this vein to act as a halo model over mass market sellers like the Nissan Micra is unlikely.

It does however beg the question as to what Nissan is doing showcasing this luxury car as part of its mainstream fare, when it has it’s own luxury car brand Infiniti which sells all the high end product.

]]> http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/2009/10/nissan-intima-concept/feed/ 0 http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/2009/10/nissan-bevel-concept/ http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/2009/10/nissan-bevel-concept/#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:35:44 +0000 admin http://www.japanese-concept-cars.com/?p=604

The Bevel was was shown at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and designed to be acrossover vehicle, a mix of both a standard Sports Utility Vehicle and a more traditional panel van, and featured an asymmetric design, one side having twin doors – the rear one opening backwards to allow better access, and the other side just a single longer door for the driver.

The main target audience according to Nissan is: “male empty-nesters actively engaged in hobbies, recreation and community service” hence the wide variety of different storage and transport options that the vehicle encapsulates.

More Images:

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