Nissan unveils three concept cars for the future

RENAULT-NISSAN chair and CEO Carlos Ghosn unveils the Nissan Intelligent Driving System (IDS) at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show 2015.

Text and photo by Walter Villa

IN A SERIOUS bid to be the dominant force in auto technology in the future, Japan’s No. 2 automaker Nissan unveiled three concept cars in the ongoing the 44th Tokyo Motor Show.

Presenting at the show, Nissan president and CEO Carlos Ghosn said: “Nissan’s forthcoming technologies will revolutionize the relationship between car and driver, and future mobility.”

First on the list is the Nissan IDS (Intelligent Driving System) concept. Based on Nissan Leaf, the top-selling electric vehicle (EV) of all time, Nissan IDS is a combination of advance vehicle control and safety technologies with cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI).

It features two modes: manual drive and piloted drive, where the AI reads and assesses traffic rules, road signs and conditions, predicts the next occurrences, and decides based on safety, comfort and enjoyment.

It has the capacity to learn driver’s style, preferences and personal needs—like departure times, driving routes and even restaurant options based on recent data.

“Nissan Intelligent Driving improves a driver’s ability to see, think and react. It compensates for human error, which causes more than 90 percent of all car accidents. As a result, time spent behind the wheel is safer, cleaner, more efficient and more fun,” Ghosn said.

Meanwhile, Nissan Gripz concept, an EV-based design-fusion of sports car and offroader, is Nissan’s future take on the crossover, the hottest and newest category in the automotive industry today.

It features Nissan’s Series Hybrid powertrain, Pure Drive e-Power, and the same high-capacity motor in Nissan Leaf which result in smoother acceleration, agility, quietness and fuel efficiency.

Teatro for Dayz, on the other hand, is a hip, millennial-take on Nissan Dayz, a tall wagon-type minicar with small (less than 700 cc) engine but terrific fuel savings (29 kilometers per liter).

This minicar, however, is full EV and works like a digital gadget

—everything is customizable from the dashboard to the seats and interior.

Games can be played on the dashboard and the backseat, with touch-control efficiency.

If your tablet has grown wheels and electric motor, it will be Teatro for Dayz.