Updated 05:30 AM,Oct 5,2023
The 20th anniversary of the opening of Nissan Design Europe in London marked the unveiling of a completely new electric urban sports concept car, the Nissan Concept 20-23, by Makoto Uchida, President and CEO of Nissan, during his visit to the center to celebrate the milestone.
The new Concept 20-23 was revealed on a floating barge moored directly outside Nissan Design Europe, along the scenic Paddington Basin of the Grand Union Canal, surrounded by the distinctive landscape that enhances the center’s exceptional, inspiring location in the heart of London.
Designed by a young, dynamic team at Nissan Design Europe, the Concept 20-23 embodies a simple yet powerful idea: creating a car without limitations that everyone would love to drive through the city streets where they work and live.
The name Concept 20-23 reflects the prestigious position of Nissan Design Europe in central London, as well as the iconic Nissan number 2 (Ni) and 3 (San), symbolizing the current year. The new vehicle continues Nissan’s long-standing tradition of bold, eye-catching designs for hatchbacks and city cars. Inspired by Nissan’s celebrated ‘Pike’ models—such as the P-1, Bao, and S-Cargo—the Concept 20-23 adds a fresh, contemporary touch to this rich legacy of compact Nissan vehicles.
The front of the car features a flat surface angled upward toward the hood, giving the front end a sleek, aerodynamic look. The headlights, with their distinctive half-circle upper and lower elements, are sharply defined by LED light frames. The turn signals are integrated into a semi-circular LED cluster, adding visual appeal while managing airflow complexity.
From the side, the car’s strength is evident in the flowing wheel arches wrapping around large wheels with low-profile tires. The upper sections of both front and rear wheel arches include ventilation openings to reduce pressure buildup and minimize aerodynamic drag around the wheels.
The curve of the wheel arches ends sharply at the level of the lower door, forming air outlets behind the front wheel. Similarly, the cutouts in the rear wheel arches allow airflow to cool the rear brakes, seamlessly blending with the lower body structure.
At the rear, a single-piece wing extends from the roof barrier, with side panels merging into the vertical pillar near the C-pillar before transitioning into a sloped horizontal section that generates downforce. Notably, the rear view remains unobstructed by the wing, solving a common challenge faced by sports cars equipped with rear wings.
Like the front lights, the rear lamps consist of thin upper and lower LED segments shaped like half-circles, contrasting with the angular, highly functional design of the lower body. These shapes are engineered to manage airflow efficiently, maximizing downforce while ensuring smooth underbody airflow. A subtle, smiling horizontal line runs along the lower side of the car, softly outlining the rear boundary of the hatchback silhouette.
On the roof, a narrow air intake is integrated where the roof meets the top of the windshield, providing ventilation for passengers enjoying the performance of the Concept 20-23.
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