the future of cars is exciting, made even more by promising by concept such as the Nissan BladeGlider Concept Car you see here. if you thought the BladeGlider looks a little familiar, you’d be right, because it indeed has some DNA, in particular the form, from the DeltaWing we saw a couple of years ago and the more recent ZEOD RC, which is destined to make its debut at the next year’s Le Mans 24 Hour race. the BladeGlider is, in Nissan own words, “both a proposal for the future direction of Nissan electric vehicle (EV) development and an exploratory prototype of an upcoming production vehicle.” it shares the same sustainable ideology as the road-going Nissan LEAF, as well as the ZEOD RC, and like the DeltaWing and ZEOD RC, takes a radical approach not only in the drivetrain, but also the overall design.
sporting a deltoid-shape form with a narrow 1 meter front track and a wide rear track, the BladeGlider has a 1+2 seating arrangement that puts the driver in the center with two passengers directly behind. it sports upward-swing doors, which shifts the driver seats towards the opening door as it opens, allowing for easy ingress and egress – though we have absolutely no idea how the rear passengers are going to get out if that seat-shifting happens. well, that’s just an observation on our part. it will be powered by in-wheel motors, though unspecified, which are juiced by lithium-ion battery pack, fitted low and towards the rear of the vehicle for enhanced stability and handling. the focus are on the vehicle’s aerodynamic and weight minimization though, with features like lightweight carbon fiber underbody which negates the need for drag-inducing wings, structurally optimized chassis in ultra lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), and of course, an aerodynamically sculptured exterior that is both functional and beautiful at the same time.
the Nissan BladeGlider Concept Car will be making its public debut at the coming Tokyo Motor Show 2013 (November 22 – December 01, 2013, Tokyo Big Sight). click past the jump for a few more look, as well as short video clip.
