First Peek: Nissan Townpod

Not so many years ago the car's basic remit might have been to take a single occupant to work five days a week, have sufficient trunk space for a weekly trip to the supermarket and enough seats to transport a nuclear family to the coast for a long weekend. More recently, classic sedans and estates have evolved into hatchbacks, MPVs, SUVs and now crossovers, all designed for particular segments of the population, but none tailored to the specific needs of individuals who cannot be, and indeed strive to not be, so easily pigeon-holed.

Nissan Townpod provides a simple platform, which each user can individually tune to their own peculiar needs. Be they a musician transporting their kit between gigs, a delicatessen proprietor distributing their wares or an architect carrying drawings to a client, each can adapt the interior of their Nissan Townpod using proprietary as well as third-party sourced accessories.

François Bancon, general manager of Nissan's Exploratory and Advance Planning Department, elaborates, "Only they know what is essential for their lives, so it is logical that they should be the ones who determine the ultimate specification of their cars. For them an off-the-shelf solution is not enough and the best-equipped people to tailor-make their cars are themselves. What is more revealing is that Nissan Townpod users do not appreciate stereotypes or status symbols. For them, the ultimate status is to have no status."

Externally Nissan Townpod consist of many familiar elements, yet it is different. It employs the same zero-emission technology found within Nissan LEAF. Charging points can be found in the nose behind an automatically retracting cover, which appears to be backlit thanks to its electric blue painted surrounds reflecting subtly off the car's "Stratosphere White" body paint. Similar electric blue hints are visible behind the door handles, number plate, the spokes of the alloy wheels and within the headlamp pods. The car does not need to shout that it is an EV. It more subtly suggests its ecological and economical credentials.

The headlights reflect Nissan Townpod's philosophy of stylish utility by serving as position markers when the blue "petals" are closed and headlights when open, while the external location of the pods eases basic maintenance. Similarly, the semi-silvered coating over the indicators is not just for effect. The mirror-like finish turns them into modern reflectors when the turn signals are not in use.

The innovative position of the headlights also allows a coupe-esque bonnet line, not dissimilar to Nissan Z, which feeds in to a visor-like wraparound, blue tinted glass house, reminiscent of Nissan Cube, while the galls to body proportions hark back to the rat-rods of the fifties.

The car is decidedly more van-like with its split rear doors. The rear features back lights on the right, a number plate on the left, and a rear-door handle set into a concave surface . Viewed from above the car's space-maximising rectangular footprint flows into an elliptical roof, offering more graceful lines as well as increased aerodynamic efficiency.

The rear lights are designed to reflect light like cut jewels when not in use, and to sparkle rather than simply glow when illuminated. Innovative hinges allow the rear doors to slide, then open in confined spaces and then fold to the side of the car so as not to obstruct passing traffic or pedestrians. As the rear lights are positioned in the all encompassing rear doors a second set of position and indicator lights is located in the bottom sill of the doorway. A hatch-like sun roof, directly above the cargo area, allows Nissan Townpod to carry taller objects.

Access to the cargo area from the rear is unobstructed, thanks to the ingeniously hinged back doors, while gaping apertures on either side mean that cumbersome loads, or wriggling toddlers, can be placed in the car with ease at the curbside. These ultra wide doorways are possible because there is no "B-pillar" set between the traditionally hinged front doors and the sliding doors at the rear, with the locking mechanism of the former set into the leading edge of the latter.

The rear seat itself has an interesting trick incorporated into its design. While it is not uncommon to find rear seats that slide or fold, enabling passengers to either prioritise leg room or luggage space, the ultra-slim design of the seats means that the rear bench can fold and slide right into the back of the front seats, freeing the entire, flat-bottomed space behind to carry bulky cargo.

While Nissan Townpod has been created with the world's entrepreneurs in mind, its appeal is likely to go beyond this expanding demographic to new families building their first home or retirees turning a hobby into a business. In other words, anybody who appreciates the customisable utility of its van-like abilities coupled with a chic and stylish cockpit designed with the future and not just today, in mind.

Credits: wilswong