Nissan Mixim Concept Car

Motoring Channel Staff - 29/August/2007

Tokyo, Japan — The 62nd annual Frankfurt Motor Show is the launching pad for hundreds of new models, from concept cars to brand new production cars. It's always a busy time for everyone in the auto industry, including revitalised Japanese brand Nissan.

The Asian car maker used this year's Frankfurt Motor Show to preview an all new concept car, a one-off show car based on an existing model and a heavily revised production car.

The Mixim Concept Car, explains Nissan, is a compact vehicle for young drivers who are mostly engaged by their computer and the world via the Internet. The driver sits centrally, with two seats either side, while the steering wheel and controls are inspired by the interfaces so familiar to computer gamers.

By shifting its focus to younger drivers with specific models, Nissan hopes to set in motion the next few decades of prosperity. Though the Mixim isn't destined for production, many of the innovations pioneered may be integrated into future production models.

The Mixim is also an environmentally friendly vehicle, powered by Nissan’s "Super Motor" electric motor/generator and using compact lithium-ion batteries. Nissan says it has unusually rapid performance combined with a "usefully" extended range. Sitting on a 2530mm wheelbase, Mixim is 3.7m long, 1.8m wide and 1.4m tall, making it shorter and lower than Micra. 

It weighs just 950kg, very light, and two of Nissan's "Super Motor" powertrains are used on the Mixim: one powers the front axle and a second drives the rear axle, allowing for all-wheel drive.

While the technology located under the Mixim Concept Car's skin is imaginative, the styling too cannot be dismissed as dull. The exterior design has a bulbous coupé shape, one that ensures it will not be easily ignored in Frankfurt. 

With a wraparound windscreen, said to be inspired by the visor of a crash helmet, the middle of the car rises sharply and features a sharply truncated rear. The doors are also a design highlight, opening upwards and outwards in an exotic fashion.

The interior of the car is just as conceptual as the exterior, with a truly futuristic motif. The steering wheel, for example, looks like it was inspired by the controls of an aircraft, and even the seats feature an ergonomically futuristic design.

The second compact model that Nissan has confirmed for its Frankfurt Motor Show exhibit is the Micra Colour + Concept show car. As Nissan explains, this vehicle was designed and conceived at Nissan Design Europe, in London, to showcase the latest colour and paint technology and to highlight the changes that have been made to the entire Micra range.

It has been given a two-tone treatment with a Liquid Metal gold paint effect running over the top of the car and contrasting with the three coat pearlescent white finish on the car's flanks.

Nissan says that inside the Colour + Concept theme continues with a high contrast between the upper and lower portions of the interior. Re-upholstered in sumptuous white leather, the seats have accented detailing and stitching. Carpets and lower internal panels are a darker acid yellow to contrast with the pale upper portion of the dashboard.

Nissan will also debut a "more mature Micra", expected to be a mid-life update. As the company states, the new Micra will feature subtle changes to the exterior and interior.

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