Another playful little one
Car designer Niels van Roij takes a look at the dashing-looking Nissan Concept 20-23. It was designed by the people of Nissan Design Europe in London with the simple assignment to draw – without limitations – a car that they would like to drive through the streets of that city. Concept 20-23 continues Nissan’s tradition of bringing distinctive playfulness to compact hatchbacks and city cars. How does this rash-looking Concept 20-23 relate to the Nissan DNA and the Pike cars, Be-1, Pao, Figaro and S-Cargo?
The name Concept 20-23 reflects 20 years of Nissan Design Europe, located in the heart of London, as well as the company’s traditional number 2 (ni) 3 (san) and the year of its launch. The design of the compact hatchback is strongly influenced by the online racing world and Nissan’s Formula E participation. Another source of inspiration came from Xray images, which reveal the complexity of internal elements combined with organic surfaces.
It shows! The racing world influences are reflected all around in the basic shape of this three-door hatchback, equipped with pronounced aerodynamic elements all around.
The nose consists of a flat surface that slopes upwards to the top of the hood, giving the front a beautiful, clean and pure surfacing. Friendly headlights are positioned within this, with a characteristic thin upper and lower semi-circle of LEDs. Shapes that are clearly linked to the characterful Nissan Micra of 2002.
The units give the front a friendly appearance, the curve in the skin underneath even tends towards an amicable smile. Placed as a whole above the hard, complex and unapproachable shapes that control the airflow, it is DRG a welcome benignity. Impressive work.
From the side, the car shows its muscularity: wide, coarse wheel arches, large, technical-looking wheels with low-profile tires. The wheels feature an infinite number of perfectly complementary shapes, with beautiful finesse in sculpture, materials and textures.
The top of the front and rear wheel arches have openings with slats, which reduce the pressure built up in the wheel arches. Its graphic outline is like a Japanese manga: hard, vicious and drawn one hundred percent under control.
The curvature of the wheel arches ends abruptly at the bottom of the door, where angular elements frame the air outlet behind the front wheel. The same angular slots can be found in the rear wheel arches, where they provide the airflow for the rear brakes.
The rear has almost vertical C-pillars, which beautifully transition into a horizontal element that forms into a large spoiler, emerging harmoniously from the roof rail.
Like the front, each of the rear lights consists of a thin upper and lower semi-circle of LEDs, whose geniality contrasts with the square and sticky shapes of the lower, aerodynamic and functional form spectrum.
Visually, an exceptional amount is happening in the design of the Concept 20-23. The courage shown is excellent and the effect of the whole is phenomenal. There is a lot of Nissan, Micra and even Juke DNA to be found. Playful and wild in places, but perfectly executed. Many brands focus on simply applying characteristic lines to the bodywork, but this structural approach is creative and surprising. The methodology stimulates the form of volumes and graphics.
With the Concept 20-23, Nissan Design Europe gives a Nissan-only-twist on its small cars, completely in line with the modern Nissan DNA, the Micra line-up and the Be-1, Pao, Figaro and S-Cargo. Job well done!
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl