Nissan is unveiling four EV concepts in the weeks leading up to the 2023 Tokyo auto show. Each will have the prefix “hyper,” with one debuting each week until the Tokyo show’s press day, scheduled for Oct. 25.
First up is the Hyper Urban crossover which, according to Nissan’s press materials, targets “urban- and suburban-based professionals.” Nissan apparently thinks these customers want bold exterior styling.
Up front, the grille-less fascia folds in on itself. The same shape is repeated at the back, but also blends into protruding rear fenders. The concept also features Lamborghini-style scissor doors, but these are likely just an auto-show flourish that won’t make it to production.
Nissan Hyper Urban concept
The interior is inspired by “kaleidoscopic triangles,” according to Nissan and features front seats that can collapse and fold into the rear seats to create a lounge-like setup for stationary hangouts. The instrument panel and main display can also be “customized according to the owner’s mood,” suggesting that this is yet another concept car designed to stow its steering wheel for autonomous driving.
Like some current production cars, periodic software updates can add features after the car leaves the showroom. But Nissan also claims the instrument panel can be swapped out to keep up with tech trends.
Nissan didn’t discuss powertrain specs, but did mention that the Hyper Urban was designed for both vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging applications. It’s an indication Nissan hasn’t forgotten about all its projects in this area in the recent past.
Nissan Hyper Urban concept
There’s a factory-approved bidirectional charger for the Leaf in the U.S., and Nissan has shown with double-decker buses in London, among several projects, how it can scale up V2G.
It’s hard to say how much of the Hyper Urban concept will translate to future Nissan EVs. But it’s worth remembering that Nissan previewed its Ariya in 2019 as a concept, and it emerged pretty much as sketched out then.
Since then Nissan has shown the Arizon concept as a chunkier electric utility shape for China, showed a sporty EV concept that could preview a future electric successor to the Micra, and hinted that a sequel to Leaf is on the way.
