Nissan Gripz Concept Highlights Brand’s Future Design Direction [VIDEO]

Nissan Gripz Concept is here! The innovative crossover has just been revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show giving a glimpse of the future design direction for the Japanese brand. The concept mixes two ideas: the first one is of practicality and the second – of a sports car performance. The first one is applied via the raised ride height that can tackle any condition, while the second one is clearly visible through the sports silhouette.

As a result we have a concept car, which pays homage to one of company's first "crossovers" – the iconic Safari Rally-winning Nissan 240Z. A purely-bred rally racer, the car featured raised ride height, toughened suspension and sported a matt-black finish for the bonnet and trunk set.

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It is pretty obvious that Nissan Gripz Concept applies the same principles, but in more contemporary way and also features electric drivetrain.

Powertrain

Speaking of the drivetrain, the concept is equipped with an EV technology based on series hybrid system "Pure Drive e-Power." Here, an efficient gasoline engine is utilized to power the electric motor. By the way, the latter is used for the Nissan LEAF as well.

Four Key Design Elements

There are four key design elements incorporated in this concept: the V-motion grille, the boomerang lamps at the front and rear, the floating roof and the kicked-up C pillar. In fact, the exterior design of the car has been developed by the teams at Nissan Design Europe in London and Nissan Global Design Center in Japan. As a result, vehicle's forms are guided by the "emotional geometry" body sculpting, which expresses strong contrasts through the dynamic, tensional, but edgy surfaces.

The concept is built over a carbon frame structure and features body panels which are placed like armored cladding. We can also see that there is a lot of carbon fiber used in this concept. They accentuate even further the special nature of the car.

At the front we see the typical Nissan's V-motion grille, mounted low and framed by rectangular lamps with high and low beams. Boomerang-shaped running lights sit above the lamps.

The rear lamps mirror the boomerang shape of the front running lights and wrap themselves around the rear three quarters of the car. At the back there is also a matte-black Kamm tail, which gives the concept a "codatronca" effect. Beneath the tailgate there is pair of chromed trapezoidal exhaust pipes. Three-spoke 22-inch wheels are the running shoes of the Gripz Concept and they round out the exterior appearance.

2+2 Interior

With four door, the front two with deep dihedral front doors that swing out and up when opened, and a pair of rear-hinged half-doors behind, the Gripz offers a 2+2 interior. The main philosophy about the cabin is expressed in two words: "functional simplicity".

Matte-grey and the deep red-orange are the colors of choice for the interior. They haven't been selected without meaning, but actually highlight car's Tour de France inspiration. The same design inspiration has served for the creation of the exposed tubes, molded bucket seats and layered features.

If you take a closer look, then you will see that the seats and center console as well as the door pulls have been directly inspired by bicycles. In addition, the three-spoke steering wheel mimics car's alloys.

"Gliding Wing" instrument panel has been also featured. With its elegantly thin design and simple outlook, it perfectly echoes the philosophy behind this concept.

Nissan Gripz Concept is currently on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show. And this is where Nissan will discover what influence this Concept's design will have on the general public. Visit if you can!

Nissan Gripz Concept (2015)

Video Source: YouTube

Source: Nissan