Nissan IMk concept
Dinky all-electric ‘Kei’ car revealed ahead of Tokyo show
A FUNKY new Nissan concept car will be one of the headliners at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show, and is intended to show that city cars aren’t quite dead yet.
Called the IMk concept, it’s a tiny, boxy runaround that’s described by the brand as the “ultimate urban commuter”.
While A-segment city cars are struggling in Europe, similarly sized Kei cars are still massively popular in Nissan’s native Japan.
The IMk measures just 3,434mm long, 1,512mm wide and 1,644mm tall, and is underpinned by a new platform created for electric vehicles. It would be easy to look at this concept and predict a Nissan rival for the Honda e is in the offing, but the concept is a Kei car in the truest sense, suggesting that any production version would likely be for the Japanese market only.
However, Nissan says that the look and proportions of the new vehicle establish the brand’s next design philosophy – a style described as “timeless Japanese futurism”.
The IMk follows on from Geneva’s IMQ concept and uses similar themes. It’s characterised by a simplistic approach with smooth surfacing and flowing lines, but contemporary Nissan design is seen in the use of the brand’s ‘V-motion’ front end.
The company’s design director Satoru Tai described the IMk as a “luxury small EV”. Its interior features bench-style seating with bright white, dimpled upholstery, intended to give the impression of sitting on a cloud. Copper accents run through the cabin, and wooden slats are used on lower sections of the doors, while the carpet is a coffee colour.
The ambience is intended to be stressreducing and is intentionally pared back, with a simple dashboard home to a bezel-free touchscreen infotainment system, minimalist instrumentation and a simple steering wheel with yet more copper detailing.
The IMk’s bespoke platform is likely to underpin future production models, but specifications have not been revealed.
Nissan has said the IMk features the brand’s latest ProPilot driver-assistance technology, though, with an advanced version of the ProPilot 2.0 system fitted on current Nissan models. The brand says the updated ProPilot is capable of hands-off driving in one lane on the motorway, and also features a smartphone-enabled remote parking system. The driver can leave the car and let it search for a parking space near the destination. A tap on a smartphone can then summon the IMk to the drop-off spot.
The IMk also features what Nissan calls ‘Invisible-to-Visible’ technology, mating external sensors with cloud-computing to anticipate the road ahead and warn the driver of potentially unseen hazards.
“The car can drive itself in one lane on the motorway, and features a smartphone-enabled remote parking system“