Nissan’s Qazana might seem like an out-there concept, but Nissan Design Europe’s vice president Alfonso Albaisa has told CAR Online that it’ll keep many of the show car’s cues when it goes into production at the company’s Sunderland plant in the summer of 2010.
For the full story of the new Qazana, check out the new issue of CAR Magazine out next week. But here’s an abridged version of what to expect of the new crossover from the north…
So what bits of the Nissan Qazana concept stay for production?
Those wing-mounted daytime running lights for a start. Albaisa admitted to CAR that they’ll be present, though the units will be regular lights rather than expensive LEDs. It [the production car] has these things,’ said Albaisa.
Inside, the dashboard architecture you see on the concept car is what you’ll see on the production car. Both the motorcycle tank-inspired transmission tunnel and protruding dashboard will feature, Albaisa told us.
And what won’t we see on the real Qazana?
Those 20-inch wheels will shrink for school-run duties, while the sides of the Qazana will also be slimmer, but the production car will retain the 370Z-style boomerang rear lights – and we’ll see them on other future Nissans too. The boot hatch will be deeper and the suicide rear doors are (inevitably) swapped for regular rear-hinged items.
Inside the Qazana’s show-off cabin, the four-seat layout will in fact seat five, but don’t expect much room in the back. ‘The focus for this kind of car is in the front two seats,’ says Albaisa.
Nevertheless, Nissan insiders reckon the public will be ‘shocked’ by how similar the production car will be to the Qazana concept. That’s a big claim to make and we look forward to seeing how accurate that boast is!
Will the production car be called Qazana? The jury’s still out. A Nissan spokeswoman confirmed to CAR that the company’s internal naming committee has yet to make a decision, ahead of its planned debut at the 2010 Geneva motor show.
>> For a full technical analysis of the new Nissan Qazana, look out for the new issue of CAR Magazine out early next week