Has Nissan Gone Concept Car Crazy?

Nissan loves concept cars. That much we already know. But now, the company has outdone itself by unveiling not one but four.

The first is the previously unveiled Chill Out concept, a “mobile heaven” based on the same CMF-EV platform built on the upcoming Ariya crossover. Apart from the gullwing doors, it is the most conventional of all, possibly because Nissan plans to build just such a car at its Sunderland plant in the not too distant future.

The others use Nissan’s future solid-state battery technology, which the company claims will be cobalt-free and as cheap as the average internal combustion engine car by 2028.

According to its inventor, the Max-Out is a two-seat convertible with a low centre of gravity and low body roll for dynamic cornering. The passenger seat folds down to increase the cargo space, for a good reason.

Then there’s the Surf-Out, a pick-up that can go anywhere and has a vast cargo area for, you guessed it, surfboards. And finally, there’s the Hang-Out concept, a mobile living room where you can work on the road and then lie down for a movie night with a cinema-style seating arrangement.

While there’s no information on performance specs or battery sizes yet, we know that the trio uses the same e-4ORCE dual-motor powertrain used in the Ariya.

This is all in support of Nissan’s Ambition 2030 plan, which will see around £33 billion invested in electrification over the next five years. The company says it will launch 23 electrified models – including 15 battery-electric cars – by the start of the next decade. By then, internal combustion vehicles will account for less than half of sales.

Of course, battery production will also be ramped up, with Nissan targeting an annual capacity of 52 GWh by 2026 and 130 GWh four years later. By 2030, “virtually every new model” will be equipped with next-generation systems LIDAR that enables some degree of autonomous driving.

“We are proud of our long track record of innovation and our role in delivering the EV revolution,” said COO Ashwani Gupta. “With our new goal, we continue to take the lead in accelerating the natural shift to e-vehicles by delighting customers with an attractive offering, driving adoption and creating a cleaner world.”

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