Nissan IMs EV concept levels up at Detroit Auto Show
Cars
Auto makers love to find white space in the market place.
Areas where they can offer car buyers something new.
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Nissan thinks it has just such a vehicle with its new IMS concept which is making its international debut at the Detroit Auto Show.
The Japanese automaker calls the All Wheel Drive pure electric IMS an elevated sports sedan.
While it looks an awful like a rickish hatch back It actually has a trunk, no matter what you call it, it's a handsome show car that could be a bridge to people looking for certain SUV attributes, like a higher seating position, without that vehicle type's bulky looks.
This sleek pillarless four door is powered by two electric motors, yielding a combined 483 horsepower and a massive 590 pound feet of torque.
The oversized 115 kilowatt hour battery is said to provide enough use for 380 miles of range.
The sort of length that suggests this Nissan would make for an epic grand tour.
The IMS's exterior admittedly has shades of Audi's recent E tron sport back concept, but that's no bad thing.
The two were likely developed around the same time, and besides, this Nissan drives at least a step or two further into the future.
That's because of its next level interior which is made possible by the car's self driving hardware.
By next level, I mean level four.
The IMS presupposes fully autonomous driving is just around the corner, though the car's reconfigurable seating also provides an option for traditional manual operation.
The interior is particularly interesting, thanks not only to it's unusual cabin configuration, but also because of it's floating dual air gauge cluster, and the instrumental panels 3D printed visible structure.
The latter was inspired by Kumiko, a traditional japanese art that uses wood slats to create intricate designs without nails, that same exposed structure theme is repeated throughout the vehicle, including on the roof, Yolk-style steering wheel and pedals.
The aforementioned reconfigurable cabin includes an oversized rear premier seat mode, which features a pop-out ottoman to make it the best seat in the house when driving autonomously.
And since you won't need to keep your eyes on the road when the car is driving itself, the IMS includes an invisible to visible augmented reality display that takes the form of a virtual reality co-driver avatar.
In other words, with this Nissan you won't be motoring alone, even when you are.
The future is wild.
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