What's the news?
So after all the pre-Frankfurt Motor Show teasing, we've finally got to see the Nissan Gripz concept in the swoopy metal. And the best news is that Nissan says it 'points to an innovative new future for the marque'.
Exterior
Believe it or not, this thing is shorter than a Juke, although it is wider and lower to emphasise its specialness. Which shouldn't be in any doubt, given the absolutely colossal three-spoke 22-inch wheels at all four corners, or the front doors that open in a scissor fashion like an old Lamborghini, or the rear suicide doors (scissors and suicides?! Good work, Nissan!). If you're a keen aficionado of concept motors at car shows, you might notice that the Gripz bears a lot of the design details of the Nissan Sway seen at Geneva earlier this year.
To that end, note the V-motion grille, boomerang-shaped lamp clusters, floating roof and kicked-up C-pillar. But that's where the similarities end, as the Gripz has a largely exposed carbon frame with just a few 'expressive' body panels placed over the top. The Nissan concept also has forward-facing cameras in the lights that record every journey, which is either a noble conceit allowing you to beam great roads and routes to your friends, or simply a failsafe that means you've got on-board footage to fall back on when you get involved in one of those awkward road rage incidents that escalates quickly. The final big flourish of the designer's pen is the truncated, matte-black Kamm tail, below which are a pair of chromed, trapezoidal tailpipes.
Interior
We should perhaps have said that a lot of the design inspiration for the Gripz came from the world of cycling and inside are moulded bucket seats with a cycling theme, door pulls and centre console armrests shaped like bicycle saddles, and a lot of exposed metalwork in the colour of the exterior... which isn't like a bike, as they don't have interiors, but we see what Nissan was trying to achieve. The three-spoke steering wheel replicates the alloys outside, right down to bearing the same graphics as the tyres' sidewalls, while there's a 'Gliding Wing' instrument panel similar to that found in the Sway.
Mechanicals
It's more about the design of the thing than the motive force, so Nissan is brief here. An efficient petrol engine powers the electric motor found in the Leaf EV, making the Gripz concept a series hybrid - Nissan calls this 'Pure Drive e-Power'. And that's all Nissan has to say about that, aside from asserting that the Gripz 'offers a smooth, refined and exhilarating driving experience with outstanding fuel efficiency'.
Anything else?
Let us revert to Nissan's words one last time here, because the company is clear that the Gripz won't make production as is but will inform a forthcoming product: "Gripz concept is our next move as a game-changer, and is a glimpse of how a future compact crossover from the pioneer of the segment might look." So could there be a sportier version of a Juke in years to come?
Anyway, as well as the Gripz, also on Nissan's Frankfurt stand were an all-new Navarra pick-up truck, a more powerful version of the Leaf EV, and a Nismo Track Edition version of the R35 GT-R, among much more.