Nissan has unveiled a new all-electric concept car to celebrate Nissan Design Europe’s 20th anniversary in London.
Dubbed Concept 20-23, the design study envisions a sporty urban electric car that takes inspiration from Nissan’s participation in Formula E, as well as online simulator racing; it also pays tribute to the brand’s heritage of bold hatchbacks.
The name of the concept reflects 20 years of Nissan Design Europe (NDE) being located in the heart of London, as well as Nissan’s traditional number 23 (ni san) and the current year.
The Nissan Concept 20-23 was designed at NDE by a team including some of the studio’s younger members. The brief was simple: to design a car – with no constraints – which they would like to drive on the streets of London.
Since this is an exterior design model only, there are no specifications available, but seeing as Nissan describes it as an urban EV, it’s probably sized similarly to a Micra subcompact hatchback.
The Concept 20-23 adopts a basic three-door hatchback body style that’s adorned with extreme aerodynamic elements front and rear, including deep skirts that direct the airflow away from the front of the car through apertures to cool the brakes and out through vents just behind the front wheels.
Seen from the side, the Nissan Concept 20-23 features bulged wheel arches filled with large motorsport-style wheels mounted on low profile tires; the wheel arches have vented louvers at the top to reduce the pressure that can create air resistance in the wheel bay.
The side profile also reveals the extended skirts that hug the body side on the lower portion of the car, while angular slits frame the air outlet behind the front wheel and the air inlet for the rear brakes.
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At the back, there’s a massive single-piece roof spoiler and lower portion defined by a squared off diffuser and the horizontal bar below it.
In contrast with the vehicle’s tough-looking aerodynamic elements, the LED headlights and taillights consisting of a thin upper and lower semi-circle give the Concept 20-23 a friendly appearance. The turn signal is part of the same semi-circle LED unit, while a wide bar underneath emphasizes the vehicle’s width.
Highlights also include the scissor doors that hinge upwards from the base of the A-pillar, the exterior grey paint with a textured finish, the number 23 on the rear three-quarters, and a roof scoop designed to provide additional interior ventilation.
Speaking of the interior, the Concept 20-23 is an exterior model only, but that hasn’t stopped Nissan’s interior designers from creating a cabin in tune with the wild-looking exterior.
The performance-focused interior features a brace bar running across the door openings, two deep bucket seats with a large head-support reminiscent of racing cars, and an extended steering column that ends with a steering yoke with multiple controls and adjustments.
The minimalist cabin features only two screens displaying vital information, but it’s not easy to locate them in these images.
“The young team here at NDE was given a simple brief: design a fun electric city car that you’d like to drive every day in London,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s Senior Vice President for global design. “The 20-23 Concept that they designed is a compact hatchback which is strongly influenced by the online racing world. I love the story it tells about how the worlds of modern city living, online gaming and zero emissions mobility intersect.”
Unfortunately, Nissan did not provide hints as to what type of electric powertrain would suit the Concept 20-23 best. The company’s plans with it remain unknown, too, but given that it’s an exterior model, we assume it will provide design inspiration for future Nissan EVs.
