Nissan offers mirth in Geneva
The company's Qazana concept crossover vehicle is meant to inspire thoughts of fun-in-the-sun dune buggies amidst trying times.
Nissan unveiled its Qazana crossover vehicle at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show on Wednesday.
The concept was inspired by beach buggies, according to Nissan. With its oversized tires it does look like some sort of futuristic rally car.
The ultra-low rolling resistance tires, which enable a car to get better gas mileage, were made from nano technology materials by Kumho Tyres, a U.K. company known for its eco-credentials.
An obvious younger sibling to the Qashqai SUV sold in Europe, the Qazana is a very compact hatchback at approximately 13 feet long and 6 feet wide. (For comparison, BMW's Mini is about 12 feet by 5.5 feet.)
Instead of being just a coupe as is often the case with compacts, the Qazana concept sports two rear-hinged half doors (aka suicide doors) for easier backseat access in addition to its front seat doors.
Automotive journalists have already jumped in with skepticism, saying that the funky doors will never make it to the street-legal version. They may be too hasty in their negativity.
Mazda successfully kept its suicide doors from the concept to the street version for