Could the Nissan Xmotion Concept Preview a New Xterra?
Nissan has pulled the wraps off of the Xmotion Concept in Detroit, previewing a boxy, compact SUV that may arrive sometime in the near future.
The Xmotion (pronounced cross motion), is a three-row, six-passenger SUV. Nissan said the concept “fuses Japanese culture and traditional craftsmanship with American-style utility and new-generation Nissan Intelligent Mobility technology.” If you’re wondering, Nissan Intelligent Mobility typically refers to tech like its Brain-to-Vehicle system it showed at CES last week, or active safety systems such as forward collision alert and automatic emergency braking.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Worst Concept Cars of 2017
Styling wise, the Xmotion is evocative of Nissan’s corporate design language, with pronounced character lines and the ‘V-motion’ grille seen on production Nissans. There’s also a retractable rooftop box for storage, but to our eye, it doesn’t look as though it could hold very much at all. The interior is a bit more extreme, incorporating a huge widescreen display up front, along with seven more displays that can be controlled using hand gestures and eye movements. The wood console has been manufactured by using a traditional Japanese architectural wood joinery technique known as kanawa tsugi, which was once used in the construction of religious temples and shrines.
“In the Xmotion concept, we explored the more rugged and powerful side of Nissan Intelligent Mobility. Bold and powerful forms and proportions are, upon closer inspection, contrasted with aspects of traditional Japanese craftsmanship expressed in a contemporary way,” said Nissan senior designer Alfonso Albaisa. “At a glance, Xmotion may appear to have a minimal design language, but a closer look reveals layers of detail that make this concept exceptional.”
Stay tuned for more coverage on the Nissan Xmotion as press days at the 2018 North American Auto Show continue this week.
Discuss this story on our Nissan forum.
Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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Is that the top from inception on the center console? Gorgeous interior, 100% infeasible for production.
This is preposterously dumb. Concept cars can be innovative without being so obviously horrible as an actual vehicle. The rims alone are enough to make any sensible person disregard everything else on the vehicle. Then there is the pointless, interior destroying wood log through the center of the car. And that horrible design is subtly present everywhere else in the car as well. Basically, I hate this concept car. Not because it is different, but because i clearly sucks as a vehicle.