Industryweek 6143 Nissan Electric Sport Car Promo
Industryweek 6143 Nissan Electric Sport Car Promo
Industryweek 6143 Nissan Electric Sport Car Promo
Industryweek 6143 Nissan Electric Sport Car Promo
Industryweek 6143 Nissan Electric Sport Car Promo

Nissan to Unveil Electric Sports Car at Tokyo Motor Show

Nov. 8, 2013
Company hopes its BladeGlider would help it reach a market of male drivers who still want performance and styling in an environmentally friendly car - a major hurdle to widespread commercial sales.

TOKYO -- As Japan's number-two automaker presses on with its bid to tap the burgeoning green-car market, Nissan (IW 1000/31) said Friday it would unveil a sporty concept electric vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The company, which has been selling its Leaf electric vehicle since late 2010, said it hoped its Nissan BladeGlider would help it reach a market of male drivers who still want performance and styling in an environmentally friendly car - a major hurdle to widespread commercial sales.

The car, to be unveiled at the biennial Tokyo exhibition later this month, features an aerodynamic design that widens from the front to back with space for a driver in the middle and two passengers in the rear.

The design -- one meter in the front (3.3 feet) and 1.89 meters at the back and made with lightweight carbon fibers -- puts the vehicle's center of mass on the rear tires to allow for tighter turns, Nissan said.

"The driver's seat has been positioned in the middle of the vehicle to give a sense of a pilot in an airborne glider," Nissan said.

The concept vehicle is squarely aimed at moving into a higher-end electric vehicle market already tapped with some success by U.S.-based Tesla.

This week, Toyota said it planned to unveil its latest fuel-cell concept car at the Japanese show, which runs from November 20 to December 1, with an expected commercial rollout two years away.

A total of 177 exhibitors will be at the show, including Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot.

The world's major automakers have been working on various green vehicles -- from electric cars to zero emission fuel-cell models -- for a market that still remains tiny. However demand for lower-emission vehicles is forecast to grow, with further technological advances in the field seen as crucial due to toughening emissions standards.

Range, performance, re-fuelling infrastructure and relatively high prices have proved major hurdles to widespread sales of green vehicles.

Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn has been a major promoter of electric cars and vowed to press on despite lackluster demand so far.

The Japanese firm has invested about 4.0 billion euros (US$5.4 billion) in electric car development in a partnership with French carmaker Renault, which owns more than 40% of Nissan.

This week, Renault-Nissan announced an electric car tie-up with Mitsubishi.

Nissan said it has sold more than 80,000 Leaf electric vehicles globally since its rollout three years ago, a fraction of the 4.9 million cars it sold worldwide in its last fiscal year.

The automaker will also be showing off its second commercial electric vehicle, the e-NV200 minivan, which it unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Four Common OT Cybersecurity Pitfalls for Manufacturers

April 4, 2023
For the last six years, Dragos has leveraged their Professional Services team to develop an on-the-ground understanding of the realities facing the industrial community and to...

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

How Manufacturers Can Optimize Operations with Weather Intelligence

Nov. 2, 2023
The bad news? Severe weather has emerged as one of the biggest threats to continuity and safety in manufacturing. The good news? The intelligence solutions that build weather ...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!