Nissan IMk Concept is a cute city EV

MANILA: The Nissan IMk Concept car boasts of a sleeker design proving that Kei cars, the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars, can be interesting.

The new boxy EV concept by Nissan was unveiled during the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show and highlights the “new direction of Nissan’s design language” and Nissan Intelligent Mobility—the automaker’s branding on its technological systems including connectivity and autonomous driving.

Though it may be in the ‘Kei’ category, the car is Nissan’s response to a segment “prevalent in Japan and becoming so the world over the city car”. This could suggest that the IMk Concept is a preview to a global model rather than just being sold domestically in Japan. In response to this speculation, Nissan responds coyly: “It’s a concept car. It shows the possibility of a small, chic urban EV. We look forward to hearing what potential customers think about it.”

The Nissan IMk is a fully electric car that is small in size but big in tech. How small you say? Well, the dimensions of the car measure 135 inches long, 59.5 inches wide, and 64.7 inches tall. The design philosophy is dubbed by Nissan as “timeless Japanese Futurism” and is the company’s interpretation of what city cars of the future would look like.

The tiny city car has short overhangs with a dominant front grille that illuminates. On top of the grille is a thin strip with 3 LED headlights on each end. At the back, the futuristic theme continues with a long LED strip running across the rear, which serves as taillights.

More lighting elements are found in the roof slats made entirely of glass to allow more natural light to enter the cabin and create a roomier interior feel. What you won’t find on this concept car are traditional side mirrors, which were replaced by a pair of cameras hooked to the in-car screens.

Inside, the cabin is meant to “exudes the nature of a cafe or lounge” according to Nissan, which they did by placing a bench in both the front and back seating. The dashboard is very futuristic as well, which only features two conventional controls—the start button and the gear lever.

The front dashboard only features touch-operated control to make it look uncluttered. Other information is shown via a holographic display while driving information, such as sat-nav directions, appears in mid-air via a prism display. Fancy trims and wood slats on the doors contrasted by plush, clean white seats complete the café look.

Though engine specs of the Nissan IMk were not revealed, Nissan did say that the concept car will run on a single electric motor providing “excellent acceleration and a high level of responsiveness that’s effective in stop-and-go traffic and even on steep slopes.”

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