Nissan Reveals Concept Sedan
10 February 1999
Nissan's New Concept Sedan Combines Excitement with High VersatilityCHICAGO, Feb. 10 -- Nissan North America provided a sneak peek of the near future of the family sedan today with the debut of the 2000 Nissan Maxima. In addition to the Maxima, Nissan also provided a look a bit further into the future with the first showing of the Nissan New Concept Sedan (NCS). The reveal included a walkaround by Jerry Hirshberg, president, Nissan Design International, Inc. (NDI), who demonstrated the NCS's combination of innovation, style and versatility not seen in vehicles in today's marketplace. Nissan Design International created the NCS, as well as other concept cars shown in Chicago, the Z Concept and SUT(TM) Concept Vehicle.
"The NCS is designed for people who want an exciting car but need a lot of space," said Hirshberg. "They're coming out of minivans and SUVs and are getting back to wanting a car again, but their lifestyles mandate that they want something that has more volume and more usable space than a sedan, yet still expresses 'car-ness.'"
Practicality and Style
"The NCS is not a minivan, SUV, or station wagon," continued Hirshberg. "It's a hybrid between a car and everything else. Our aim was to take the advantage of these other forms and incorporate them into something genuinely new. In a word, we have attempted with the NCS to reinvent the car."
The first thing one notices is the uniquely sloped rear-end styling, which showcases a large hatch with a low liftover height and a sunroof for the rear passengers. These forms aim to express the fusion of function of this new hybrid.
Inside, the NCS features a sculpted, ergonomically sensitive interior with a full complement of luxury amenities, including air conditioning and power windows and locks. The limousine-style rear seating area, with more leg room than a large luxury sedan, is slightly higher than the front seats. This gives the rear passengers a commanding view of the road, a privilege formerly reserved for front seat occupants. The rear seats feature dual armrests for maximum comfort.
"In a traditional sedan, the front seat area is primary and the rear seats are secondary," said Hirshberg. "The idea behind the NCS is as a social vehicle for adults, so the rear seating area is as comfortable as the front. The NCS provides first-class seats for four adults, but also can be used to haul things around on the weekend."
The rear seats can be folded flat, creating a large cargo space, perfect for carrying large items. "It can haul loads from home-improvement stores or any other large item," said NCS chief interior designer Bruce Campbell. "It's even large enough for two adults to sleep in it."
Under the cargo area is a hidden storage compartment accessible from a bi- fold panel in the floor. This space is large enough to accept two golf bags and provides an extra level of cargo security.
"The idea behind the interior design was to increase vehicle flexibility with a usable cargo area," said Campbell. "The most impressive part of the whole thing is that much space is gotten from a car only about three inches taller yet shorter than today's typical mid-size sedans."
Customer Input
As the NCS began taking shape, about 30 current Nissan owners were asked to view the car and take part in in-depth discussion sessions. "We had to figure out where the customer would place this vehicle," said Hirshberg. "Would they think it was a station wagon, a minivan or something else?"
And people understood the concept behind the vehicle. "They saw it as a vehicle for four adults to be used for business or pleasure and they called it a car," said Hirshberg. "That means we hit the mark." One of the biggest compliments to the car was that potential consumers did not understand how such a large interior could fit in a moderately-sized vehicle.
Functional Reality
Like the other Nissan concepts created for the 1999 auto show season, the Z Concept and the SUT(TM) Concept Vehicle, the NCS is fully operational. It is built on a current Nissan chassis and features a 190-horsepower V6 engine, a 4-speed electronically controlled automatic overdrive transmission, front-wheel drive, fully tuned sports suspension and a 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System.
Hirshberg admits to sneaking the NCS out for a quick spin near NDI's facility in La Jolla, California, just to get people's reaction to seeing this unusual vehicle drive in normal conditions. "We took it for a quick ride and we literally stopped traffic," he said. "Something about the forms immediately captured attention and there were a lot of smiles."
