Of course it’s an SUV.
Japanese automotive firm Nissan has taken the opportunity to unveil its new Xmotion SUV concept at the ongoing Detroit Motor Show. The Xmotion is a three-row SUV which, more importantly, serves as a preview of Nissan’s design direction for its SUVs and crossovers from the year 2020 onward.
“The Xmotion is a study in how seemingly disparate elements can gain power and strength through coexistence. We see Nissan and the Xmotion concept bringing celebration to everyday life, to make every day feel like going somewhere special. We hope that those who view this vehicle at auto shows around the world will feel the very same way.” — Alfonso Albaisa, Senior Vice President (Global Design), Nissan
As far as design concepts go, the Xmotion is a pretty significant one. Designed to display something called “purposeful strength,” the new Xmotion is certainly a distinctive, beefy looking thing, more so than the current crop of Nissan models. What have been retained at the V-Motion grille and the boomerang headlights, both design features that one would be familiar with from the existing Nissan lineup, though both elements have been reimagined for a new decade.
The grille is now more distinctive — it’s broader, deeper, and less obviously V-shaped. This, Nissan says, will be the template for future Nissan crossover models. As for the headlamps, the boomerang has been revised to now appear like steel blades, an incorporate all functions (main beam, high beam, positioning, daytime-running, and indicators) into that one sleek shape.
Moving down the flanks, the most obvious feature (to the writer, at least) are the U-shaped contours that sit between the wheel arches. It may not be more than just surface play, but it emphasises the stance that the Xmotion adopts, and highlights the 21-inch aluminium alloy wheels. In case it wasn’t assumed, the Xmotion features all-wheel drive.
At the rear, traditional Japanese wooden puzzles have inspired the design of the taillights, the graphics of which are created by an optical illusion, all down to hologram technology. There are rear-hinged rear doors and traditional front ones, opening up to a space that strikes you at first with its unique seating configuration. It’s a 4+2 arrangement here, over three rows, with rearmost seats optimised for small children and pets.
“We envision the Xmotion to be a highly functional, everyday SUV that can be driven daily, yet take the owners and friends to a national park or recreation area, on a whim.” — Alfonso Albaisa, Senior Vice President (Global Design), Nissan
The cabin is designed following the principals of traditional Japanese carpentry, and a wood-joining technique called kanawa tsugi, which requires no glue or nails to keep it all together. As such, the Xmotion’s huge wood dash and central tunnel are touted to be strong and durable. The company claims that it paid close attention to things like the wood grain, the texture of the timber, and even subjected it to a smell test, to ensure that the central tunnel and dash convey the illusion that they were milled from a single tree. The solid wood look was, admittedly, achieved by applying wood overlays that were actually from a single tree from northern Japan.
For the techies, you’ll be interested in this: Rather than a central infotainment screen and a separate instrument binnacle, there is just one enormous display comprising of 5 individual screens, aided further by one in the ceiling (acting as a “digital room mirror,” and a display in the centre console. This system is controlled by gesture and eye movements, and requires fingerprint authentication to operate properly.
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