Nissan released photos of a new concept car it will show at the Geneva auto show. Named Invitation, the concept shows attractive and coherent design. It is a hatchback, about the same size as the Juke.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Nissan created the Invitation concept, which it will unveil for the first time at the 2012 Geneva auto show, as a European B segment car. It is similar in size to the Juke and Nissan says, without revealing specifics, that it heralds a new car with leading fuel economy and technology. A possible engine for it would be the Juke's direct-injection 1.6-liter, with or without the turbocharger.
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The concept reveals some intriguing design work by Nissan. The headlights look like LEDs, and the casing has a cutout for the wide grille. A lower air intake and running lights mirror the upper grille and headlight design.
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The side view shows a very cohesive and attractive design. Nissan calls the heavy contour line, running from the rear spoiler down the back, under the door handles, then hooking back in the front door, the Squash Line. The side graphics also show a nicely designed line, with points reaching far forward and back.
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Nissan says a production car based on the Invitation would have the most advanced technology in the segment, citing the inclusion of its around-view monitor system, which makes parking in tight spaces easy.
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The Invitation looks like a dedicated hatchback design, without a sedan equivalent. That form is appropriate for the European market, which favors hatchbacks in this segment.
