Nissan has completed its quartet of futuristic, faceted concept cars for the Japan Mobility Show with this, the Hyper Punk Concept.
The fourth 'Hyper' concept
The Hyper Punk will sit alongside the other Hyper concepts - the Hyper Adventure (which seems to preview a future X-Trail), the Hyper Urban (which is either the next Leaf or the next Qashqai, or maybe both?), and the Hyper Tourer (the big MPV that looks like a cruise liner).
The Hyper Punk is, as its name suggests, a bit more urban and youthful and they may as well have just called it the Hyper Juke because, let's face it, it looks more than a little like a futuristic Juke upgrade.
According to Nissan, the Hyper Punk: "Offers seamless connections between the virtual/physical and the inside/outside worlds, the Nissan Hyper Punk next-generation crossover inspires self-expression in all worlds. The vehicle's V2X system ensures that users can run and charge their devices anytime and anywhere, while also sharing the vehicle's energy with collaborators and local community events."
The styling is really striking, with diamond-like faceting all over the body, and wheelarches that stick up above the line of the bonnet in front (is anyone else seeing faint hints of Donald Campbell's Bluebird land speed record car there? Just me? OK then...). The massive 23-inch wheels have been given triangular highlights that look like giant 'play' icons when the car is stopped.
Origami styling
As with the outside, the interior has been designed to mimic Japanese origami paper folding, and again you can see hints of the Juke in the way the centre console sweeps up and around and separates the driver and passenger sides of the cabin. The passenger gets a relaxing area, finished in white, while the driver's side is more sporty and focused, and finished in red, silver, and black.
There's one really good concept car wheeze - the rear-view cameras have a built-in AI system that takes the images they see and overlays a Manga cartoon style onto the pictures, making it feel as if you're driving through a comic book. Dear Nissan, I will pay you to fit that to my car right now.
Nissan says that the cabin has been designed as "a mobile creative studio", has "seamless" internet connectivity, and has an advanced AI system that monitors your vital signs and alters the cabin lighting and temperature to jazz you up or calm you down accordingly.
Progressive approach
The styling, inside and out, is meant to represent a more thrilling future for Nissan, with the Japanese giant saying: "The design's superior aerodynamic performance and its bold powerful style, which goes against the minimalist design, represent the user's desire for self-expression and breaking conventional wisdom and Nissan's progressive approach to introducing new technologies and designs."
Will this Hyper Punk concept make it through to production? There's a better-than-good chance of it. Of all the Hyper concepts, it's arguably the one that looks the closest to reality, and Nissan is planning to launch 19 new EV models around the world between now and 2030. While this Hyper Punk might not make it to showrooms unchanged, expect it to heavily influence the next Juke.
But yeah, Manga mirrors now, please.