Meet Nissan's IMk concept, the Japanese car maker's idea of what a compact, electric, urban commuter car should be.
Designed for fashionable urban commuters
The IMk will be the headline act of Nissan's stand at the upcoming Tokyo motor show, and it's been designed for, says the company: "fashionable urban commuters." Intriguingly, Nissan also says that the IMk previews a new design language and styling direction for its cars. That grille on a Micra? It could happen...
While the IMk has been designed to mimic the sort of ultra-compact dimensions of Japan's 'kei car' small city cars, Nissan says that it's not a stripped-out budget model. Instead, it's supposed to be: "a chic vehicle that reduces driver stress while offering excitement."
"As a small EV for a new era, the Nissan IMk is designed to be at home in sophisticated cityscapes as much as in traditional Japanese towns," said Satoru Tai, executive design director at Nissan. "The IMk fuses a modern, clean look, driven by its Japanese heritage, with cutting-edge EV technology. Unconstrained by conventional concepts of the kei car segment, its design is interwoven with Japanese culture. It's a luxury small EV that I hope a lot of customers are going to drive."
Bodywork meant to look like copper
The style - relatively simple and pared back, aside from that big grille - and the colour - called 'Akagane' and meant to reflect traditional copper working - draws heavily on what Nissan calls 'Japanese DNA.' Even the brake lights are supposed to be based on traditional wood trellises. "We incorporated `Japanese DNA' into the design of the IMk," said Tai. "For example, the bumper, wheels, tires, windows, tail lamps, roof and high mount spoiler treatment borrow from the flowing patterns of mizuhiki, a thin twine made of Japanese rice paper. Just as mizuhiki flows naturally by design, on the IMk this flowing pattern blends the front, sides, and rear of the concept together for a completely new presence, outside and inside. The shield, which replaces the grille in gasoline-powered vehicles, represents a new signature element in our redefined design language. It follows function with style, giving the vehicle visual strength and inspiration while also providing protection and advanced technology underneath, including sensors and electronics."
The interior is totally stripped back and minimalist. That copper colour makes a re-appearance as a highlight strip around the lip of the dashboard and the central control console, while the rest of the cabin is finished in a mixture of pale greys and whites.
All of the displays are on a 'prism' screen, which has no bezel, so the instruments and infotainment appear to float in mid air. There's a comfy front bench, and while there are four doors and rear seats, Nissan says that maximising space wasn't the plan. "We could have kept all the surfaces inside the IMk's cabin flat, which would have equated to more physical space," he said. "But if we did that, we would have lost some of its beauty, and we didn't want to go that route. The IMk was never about being roomier than a traditional small car. It was about being an upscale, stylish partner that gives occupants a chic, elegant space to enjoy."
Autonomous parking system
Autonomous tech, though, was part of the plan. The IMk previews Nissan's next-gen ProPilot 2.0 automated systems, which include fully remote parking - you step out and the IMk heads off by itself to find a parking space, coming back later to pick you up.
Although it's electric, Nissan isn't giving us any details of range, performance, nor recharging time just yet. It does say that the IMk can be plugged into your home and use any charge left in its batteries to feed your domestic needs, before recharging overnight, and that it has a an always-on WiFi hub built into the cabin. Oh, and it uses Nissan's 'Invisible to Visible' tech, that uses both sensors on the car, and communication with other vehicles and roadside furniture to help flag up potential dangers that are currently out of sight, such as a car about to pull out from behind a wall or a building.
"The IMk concept provides a glimpse of the new direction of Nissan Intelligent Mobility as technology evolves toward electrification and connectivity," said Asako Hoshino, Nissan's executive vice president overseeing global marketing and sales and the brand's global EV business. "At Nissan, we intend to continue launching cars with the latest advanced systems to maintain our lead in automotive innovation."
Also appearing on Nissan's stand will be a new Serena MPV with a hybrid powertrain; a new Skyline saloon (not a GT-R, don't get excited) that now comes with some hands-off ProPilot 2.0 tech; the longer-range, higher-performance Leaf e+; and a 50th anniversary version of the GT-R supercar plus a new NISMO version too.