在推出了一些列成功的非傳統(tǒng)SUV，特別是Juke微型跨界SUV后，日產顯然決定繼續(xù)深挖這一寶藏，使其成為公司的下一個標志性產品門類。
而日產努力的成果，便是2015法蘭克福車展上亮相的Gripz概念車。這輛外形圓潤的SUV將會在日產已經足夠豐富的SUV產品線內占據新的一席。“我們希望重新定義跨界越野這個門類，”日產歐洲設計中心創(chuàng)意設計經理Giovanny Arroba表示，位于倫敦的該中心便是負責設計這輛概念車的部門。
他指出，Juke的成功對于日產來說很重要，“這個門類對我們非常重要，我們很想知道究竟能走多遠。”
由于Gripz可能在370Z下線的時候開始生產，因此粉絲擔心Gripz將成為Z型車的替代品，然而事實遠未達到這種程度。Arroba堅稱，Gripz是一款不同于任何產品的車型，但日產公司已多次試圖在Gripz和Z之間建立聯系，因此人們才會懷疑日產計劃將其作為下一代Z型車推出市場。
除了車名最后的“z”以外，Gripz概念車還裝有帶橙色噴漆的啞光黑色引擎蓋。這個設計的是為了向Safari Rally Z——早期240Z的非公路賽車版本致敬，日產憑借它贏得了Sarfari拉力賽的冠軍。
除了40年前的這輛越野賽車外，Gripz概念車的主要靈感來自于自行車，Arroba表示。它的車身架構是用碳纖維制成的，車身板鑲嵌其上?；仫w棒形的車門結構使用碳纖維元素。這種設計進一步強調了車身結構。
“自行車風格的設計靈感是內飾設計師首先提出的，但它引起了我們的共鳴，所以將其延伸到外觀上來，” Arroba稱。這個想法的核心就是將車身材料和汽車構件像自行車那樣暴露出來，“我們不會去填補、隔開或隱藏這些部件。”
除了剪刀型的前部敞口和后鉸鏈式的后門外，Gripz概念車的設計中不乏尖銳的角形元素，其中包括V-型格柵和內凹三角形門窗。就連排氣管頭也是梯形的。
Gripz發(fā)動機蓋下方裝有內燃機，因而會產生尾氣。但它的動力系統(tǒng)是一個串聯式油電混合系統(tǒng)，因此汽油發(fā)動機所產生的動力會帶動發(fā)電機，用于驅動來自Leaf EV的電機。
日產沒有透露更多的技術細節(jié)，只是表示這個電力驅動系統(tǒng)會給概念車帶來流暢、細膩而刺激的駕駛體驗，燃油效率也非常出色。
作者：Dan Carney
來源：SAE《汽車工程雜志》
翻譯：SAE上海辦公室
Nissan shows Gripz crossover concept
After a run of success with unorthodox SUV styling, especially in the Juke subcompact crossover SUV, Nissan has apparently decided to mine this vein as the company’s new signature.
The result, shown at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, is the Gripz Concept, a sleek crossover SUV that seeks to chisel another niche into the Nissan’s already-packed line of SUVs. “We want to redefine the crossover segment,” explained Giovanny Arroba, Creative Design Manager for Nissan Design Europe, the London studio responsible for the concept.
Citing the Juke as a prior success in this this effort, he said, “This is a very important segment for us, and we wanted to see how far we could push it.”
Far enough to ruffle enthusiasts’ feathers, who fear that the Gripz could be approved for production at a time when the 370Z may be dropped from the line, prompting them to view the Gripz as the Z-car’s replacement. Arroba insists that the Gripz stands on its own and is unrelated to other product decisions, but the company made enough attempts to link the Gripz to the Z that suspicions remain that Nissan views it as a next-generation Z.
Aside from the “z” at the end of its name, the Gripz Concept also wears a matte black hood with orange-red paint as a tribute to the Safari Rally Z, an off-road racing version of the early 240Z. Nissan won the Safari Rally with the car.
Aside from the nod to the off-road sports cars of 40 years ago, the main inspiration for the Gripz Concept was road bicycles, reported Arroba. The car features a carbon frame, with body panels mounted over it. Exposed carbon elements such as the boomerang-shaped door structure underscore its construction.
“The interior guys brought in the road-bike inspiration, and it spread to the exterior because it struck a chord with us,” said Arroba. The idea was to leave frame materials and vehicle componentry exposed as they are on bicycles, he said. “We’re not padding and insulating and hiding that,” he said.
Beyond the openings for the scissor front and rear-hinged rear doors, sharp angles abound in the Gripz Concept, from its V-shaped grille to its indented triangular sills. Even the exhaust pipe tips are trapezoidal.
It does have exhaust because there is an internal combustion under the hood, though the concept’s powertrain is a series hybrid, so the gasoline engine’s power spins a generator that powers an electric motor borrowed from the Leaf EV.
Nissan provided no additional technical details, just saying that the electric drive system lends the concept a smooth, refined, and exhilarating driving experience with outstanding fuel efficiency.
Author: Dan Carney
Source: SAE Automotive Engineering Magazine
Gripz的車輪是Bridgestone公司專為其研發(fā)的22英寸輕盈車輪，它的形象讓人聯想起自行車輪。
Gripz的啞光黑色引擎蓋，它的配色靈感來自于上世紀70年代的日產Safari Rally Z。