Nissan showed this Gripz Concept at the Frankfurt motor show and says it’s a sporty crossover for the younger generation. Its design was based on rugged desert buggies and racing bicycles. The car is supposed to have a dual personality by coping with the day to day slog to work and then slaying mountain passes on the weekend.

Electric hybrid

Predictably, the Gripz Concept uses a hybrid drivetrain. The electric motor powers the wheels whilst a small petrol engine does the job of powering the electric motor. The result is said to be a ‘smooth, refined and exhilarating driving experience with outstanding efficiency.’

The Nissan Gripz Concept is seen as a design statement rather than a replacement for an existing model. The Crossover concept incorporates four key design elements first seen in Europe on the Nissan Sway at the Geneva motor show. As with Sway, Gripz features a V-motion grille, boomerang lamps front and rear, a floating roof and a kicked-up C pillar.

Exposed carbon elements spear through the design and showcase the huge grille up front. Gripz has four doors – with deep dihedral front doors that swing out and up when opened, and a pair of rear-hinged half-doors behind. There is no B-pillar, allowing easy access to the 2+2 interior.

Built like a bike

The three-spoke 22-inch wheels are also inspired by racing bicycles – lightweight yet strong. Red and white graphics found on the sidewalls are replicated on the car’s steering wheel.

Again featuring a mix of matt-grey and the deep red-orange colours, the interior underlines the car’s Tour de France inspiration with exposed tubes, moulded bucket seats and layered features echoing the cladding effect found on the exterior.

The seats and centre console are directly inspired by bicycles, as are the door pulls that are shaped like saddles from a racing bike.

The Gripz concept is merely a design study and does not actually represent any future model plan. Nissan will however gauge the public reaction to the concept and possibly make a decision on whether to build it or not.

Nissan Gripz Concept Video