Such technology will offer mobility to people who can’t drive or who don’t have cars, and it can also reduce pollution and global warming by delivering efficient driving, he said.
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The Nissan Gripz Concept, conceived by designers in Europe and Japan, aims to blend the ability and practicality of a compact crossover with the excitement and performance of a sports vehicle. Instead, the auto imitates the driver’s style behind the wheel and gives over control of the vehicle to the driver in Manual Drive whenever requested. The Nissan IDS Concept is fitted with a high-capacity 60 kWh battery. Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. are all seeking to commercialize automated driving vehicles by 2020.
On the outside, there are familiar Nissan design cues seen in the v-motif grille and narrow headlamps, but Nissan says it dropped design elements that would portray speed, size or elegance as “this car’s identity belongs to the owner, and design assumptions we make just limit their creativity”.
Styling is only part of the package, however, with the IDS introduced as a preview not only of Nissan’s evolving design language, but also its electric powertrain and driverless vehicle technology.
Tokyo is known as one of the world’s most futuristic cities, so when the Tokyo Motor Show rolls into town it’s all about showing off whacky and wild concept cars.
Inside, the steering wheel and rotating instrument cluster recede away when switched to autonomous mode. But, more than that, it’s a serious statement of intent from Nissan that the future of driving involves ditching the steering wheel while a bunch of coding wiggles you – safely – through traffic and on to your destination. This screen will display messages such as “After You” to pedestrians and cyclists, letting them know they can safely go about their route. All four seats rotate slightly inward, making conversation even easier. For instance, the car’s side body line is actually an LED that Nissan calls the Intention Indicator. It’s also about pushing an ambitious government-backed vision for the future that paints Japan as a leader in automated driving technology.
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When it’s in drive mode meters, controls and maps are displayed on a white instrument panel. So if you drive like Senna, so will your IDS. It’s small (digital natives like small), battery powered because they’re more at ease with connecting their devices to chargers than having to visit a garage to re-fuel – and it can be used anywhere to recharge hand-held devices. To offset the weight of the batteries, the body was made from carbon fiber, and while the shape has too many blades and pivots for everyday use, it’s not that far removed from what a radically redesigned Leaf might resemble.
