Nissan shows off all-new X-Trail, Lannia Concept in Beijing

THE ALL-NEW X-Trail compact SUV would go head-to-head with such best-sellers as the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5.

Nissan is one of the fastest-growing automotive brands in China, with several factories in the country. That was made apparent at the sizeable Nissan booth at Auto China in Beijing. The company launched its Lannia concept for the “Post ’80s” generation. It was presented by chief planning officer Andy Palmer, the No. 3 in Nissan’s top management. “Lannia Concept joins our growing family of China-focused models,”  Palmer said. “It was designed by Chinese, built by Chinese for the Chinese people and, ultimately, for the world.” The name sounds like the Chinese lan niao or Bluebird.

Nissan has been zeroing in on a particular market segment in China, which it terms the balinghou or Post ’80s generation. To tap into the projected desires and passions of that particular age group, the Japanese company has tasked its design center in China, opened in 2013, to come up with a concept.

The results is the Lannia Concept, unveiled by Palmer at the Beijing Auto Show. Signature trademarks include cues from Nissan’s next-generation design. These include the “V-motion grille,” boomerang headlamps, kick-up pillar and “floating” roof. The head of Nissan Design China, coincidentally named Taiji Toyota, says that the Lannia Concept exudes daqi—a Chinese word roughly meaning exuberance. Nissan says that it is hard to define but it has the strength to push people to aspire towards better things.

The Lannia Concept took center stage at the Nissan booth during the 13th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, which ran from April 21 to 29 at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing.

Aggressive journey

The Lannia was on center stage with the Bladeglider sports car concept. Bladeglider has a center-mounted driving seat.  Nismo-tuned vehicles were also launched at the auto show, from the GT-R Nismo to the 370Z Nismo sports cars.

Palmer said: “We are very excited about the arrival of Nismo in China. Running one of the world’s premiere motorsports organizations, Nismo embodies Nissan’s motorsports heritage of passionately pursuing victory through continuous improvements in engineering. It goes without saying that to achieve such results, Nismo  has been, and will continue to be, at the forefront of innovation, technology, safety and quality, which transcends across all Nissan products. Entering the Chinese market is an important milestone for Nismo  as it continues its aggressive journey to expand its presence beyond the racetrack to key markets around the world.”

There are also plenty of well-specified practical cars on the Nissan stand, including the NV200 Vanette, the Paladin pickup with a shell-like SUV, and the all-new X-Trail. Advanced vehicles like the Leaf electric car and the autonomous driving, and technology like the Smart Rear View Mirror, which is capable of displaying a much wider rear view than the traditional glass, were also on display.

With the advent of the new Nissan Philippines came two new vehicles, the Sylphy compact and the Altima midsize sedans. Nissan, of course, has realized that the game in the Philippines is SUVs or car-based crossovers. The global company had a very interesting vehicle at the Beijing auto show: the all-new X-Trail compact SUV. This would go head-to-head with such best-sellers as the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5.

Modern visage

The X-Trail has a sleek, modern look, quite an advancement from its squarish predecessor. Nissan’s signature styling cues such as boomerang rear lights and sculpted D-pillar make their way here. LED headlamps are standard on higher-end variants. X-Trail will have a CVT for better fuel economy and a chassis with full complement of electronic safety aids.

Inside, it features cream leather trim and theater-style seating. The theater-style seats allow the second row to have better visibility and easier ingress and egress. The rear doors open extra wide, almost 80 degrees, to enable easier access particularly when installing a child seat. Most importantly: There is a seven-seat option, as the interior is big enough to fit a third row.

Highly enthusiastic about the new Nissan Philippines Inc.’s (NPI)  upcoming offerings, general affairs manager SJ Huh was optimistic about bringing the X-Trail, which has a seven-seat option, to Manila. Meanwhile, cars like the GT-R and 370Z were also being considered but would need a lot more work to officially sell in the Philippines. Here’s hoping that NPI will be very busy launching new models this year.

Huh said they are “working very hard” to bring new products to the Philippines and that Nissan is very keen to launch the X-Trail locally. As to the other juicy offerings on the Nissan stand, the Nismo GT-R and the Nismo 370Z,  Huh was more tentative. “We are considering it,” he said.