For this prototype, Nissan relied on the freshest talent at NDE and set minimal restrictions. The outcome is a vehicle featuring dramatic dimensions, pronounced wheel arches, and a sizable rear spoiler.
“The young team here at NDE was given a simple brief: design a fun electric city car that you’d like to drive every day in London,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s senior VP of global design. “The 20-23 Concept that they designed is a compact hatchback which is strongly influenced by the online racing world. I love the story it tells about how the worlds of modern city living, online gaming and zero emissions mobility intersect.”
The interior echoes a racecar vibe, boasting bucket seats, a square-shaped steering yoke, multiple-point safety harnesses, and a brace bar that even young drivers will need to navigate over. It also features scissor doors reminiscent of Lamborghinis.
Though the above-mentioned features are unlikely to make it to a production model, the exterior of Concept 20-23 serves as our clearest hint at Nissan’s design direction for its all-electric successor to the entry-level Micra. Once you remove elements like the oversized wheel arches, the substantial spoiler, and the low-hanging bumpers and side skirts, the underlying design becomes apparent. Key elements like the large circular headlights and taillights, the hood, and the hatchback silhouette are anticipated to carry over into the production model.
Nissan declared in January 2022 that the forthcoming model would utilize the CMF B-EV platform currently in use by vehicles from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, such as the Renault 5 and the Alpine A290.
The yet-to-be-named production car will be “conceived by Nissan, engineered, and fabricated by Renault,” as stated by the Japanese firm. Although performance specifications are yet to be divulged, its platform sibling, the Renault 5, is projected to offer a range of 402 km (250 miles) and a front-mounted motor generating 136 hp (100 kW).
Nissan is aiming for a base price of less than €25,000 ($26,480 USD), indicating that the retail model will substantially diverge from the Concept 20-23.
Source: Nissan