Nissan reveals new Xmotion concept
Published Date: 16th Jan 2018
Nissan has revealed the New Xmotion concept, an exploration in design for a potentially new compact SUV, building on the company's history of great crossovers and SUVs.
The world debut took place at the 2018 American International Auto Show in Motor City (Detroit), the six-passenger Nissan, complete with three-rows Xmotion concept fuses a piece of Japanese culture and traditional design with American-style utility and next-generation Nissan Intelligent Mobility technology.
"In the Xmotion concept, we explored the more rugged and powerful side of Nissan Intelligent Mobility. Bold and powerful forms and proportions are, upon closer inspection, contrasted with aspects of traditional Japanese craftsmanship expressed in a contemporary way," explained Alfonso Albaisa, senior vice president of global design at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. "The exterior's combination of western and eastern concepts continues inside the Xmotion, where advanced connectivity and autonomous technologies mix with modern Japanese digital art and cultural craftsmanship. At a glance, Xmotion may appear to have a minimal design language, but a closer look reveals layers of detail that make this concept exceptional."
Looking to the future of Nissan design, the Xmotion concept's stunning exterior gives a powerful presence with an understated sculptural body, including unique U-shaped highlights and a bold evolution of Nissan's new signature V-motion grille.
With the Nissan Xmotion the mechanical tool-inspired wheels and all-terrain tires coexist as one piece, with the tires laminated over the 21-inch alloy wheels. Additional exterior features include a retractable "rooftop box" and a unique tail light design inspired by Japanese woodwork.
With the xmotion’s long wheelbase, with wheels and tires pushed out to the extremes of the corners, this allows for the creation of a fresh, "4+2" passenger layout. Featuring three rows of side-by-side individual seats, it's designed to provide a perfect space for a young couple, another couple and two children or pets in the third row.
On the inside, the Nissan Xmotion concept's crafted interior design shows a Japanese landscape, honoring Nissan's eastern roots while incorporating advanced graphic user interfaces and autonomous driving tech.
The cabin itself is created with a river in mind as you can see on the floor, with the center console as the bridge. The console sits at the core of the interior design, using a traditional Japanese architectural wood joinery technique, kanawa tsugi, found in the carpentry used to build religious temples and shrines of old.
The instrument panel on the new Nissan Xmotion is a modern interpretation of traditional kigumi wood joinery. By using the kigumi structure in the instrument panel and console, the vehicle's interior suggests a robust bone structure, creating a sense of strength and trust.
The interior includes a grand total of seven digital screen fragments, made up of 3 main displays and left and right end displays span the width of the instrument panel, a "digital room mirror" in the ceiling and a center console display.
Gesture and eye movements can be used to control the displays and infotainment system. Voice command systems allows the driver to focus on driving, helping them access various information in a smart, easy and safe manner without compromising their focus.
"We envision the Xmotion concept to be a highly functional SUV that can be driven every day, yet can take the owners and friends to a national park or recreation area on a whim," Albaisa said. "With its combination of style and technology, this concept fulfills Nissan's mission of moving people to a better world."