Over the years, auto shows have been dropping clues for anyone who wants to take a peek of what will drive the future, or even the other way round. Nissan has dropped one such clue at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show in the form of their imagination for the compact hatchback of the future. Called the Sway, this radical, edgy, futuristic and bold looking car could very well replace the current plain and staid looking Micra in the near future. While the front looks like it could greet you with a hello in Japanese any moment, the concept car has been designed to appeal European tastes. Calling the concept an emotional and daring design, the Nissan Sway has been penned with swooping lines, a striking nose, use of sophisticated colours, however, on the inside, Nissan has taken an elegantly simple approach towards things.
The Sway represents the first time this new design language has been expressed on a compact hatchback, while future Nissan models in different market segments in all regions will follow this styling direction. The exterior blends four highly distinctive elements – the V-motion grille, a floating roof, boomerang lamps and a kicked-up C-pillar – to shape a new design signature that has already been seen on the Nissan Lannia Concept that was presented last year in Beijing at Auto China 2014, as well as the new Murano recently launched in the US.
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Alongside the V-motion grille sit the boomerang headlamps which are matched by tail-lights that are equally dramatic, dissecting the rear three-quarter elements of the car. Twin trapezoidal exhaust pipes emerge from either side of the registration plate housing towards the middle of the rear section rather than underneath the bumper. Complex rear doors house not only the extended sill and waistline crease, but also the shapely flared fenders needed to cover the rear wheels. To ease ingress and egress, this concept car has no central B-pillar and rear-hinged back doors. Another feature of Nissan’s new design language is the floating roof, which is expressed this time by a panoramic glass roof, framed by an extended C-shaped construction running from the A-pillars along the side of the roof to the rear cross link above the tailgate.
The interior uses a darker, deeper blue, with high contrasting ivory and orange colours matching the exterior to give a sense of unity to the car. Inspired by the IDx show car first revealed at the 2013 Tokyo motor show, the Sway adopts – and develops – its interior design concept of a gliding wing shaped dashboard. The door pulls are designed to be integrated as a part of exposed aluminium struts. Even the three-spoke steering wheel has a ‘back-to-basics’ simplicity, with a squared off bottom section and aluminium spokes. Just two basic instruments face the driver, with all other functions captured on a large trapezoidal tablet in the centre of the dashboard visible – and usable – by both driver and front seat passenger. The lightweight seats have an aluminium structure and are covered in a premium suede-like fabric partially accentuated with pearl-effect material, featuring stitching techniques more usually found on luxury handbags.
“We believe that the Sway continues our tradition of challenging the status quo in market segments by bringing something fresh, distinctive and striking, much as we did with Qashqai and Juke. With this new concept car for Geneva, we are experimenting to see how Nissan might be able to bring fresh ideas to the compact hatchback segment,” said Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President, Design and Chief Creative Officer, Nissan Motor Co, Ltd.
