We live in a golden age of automotive lighting. It’s a fascinating time, with technologies like LEDs and new manufacturing techniques allowing for shapes and styles and functions never before possible back in the dark (well, dim) ages of two shapes of sealed beams and plastic bezels. Nissan – in partnership with Dong Feng – just showed four concept cars at the Beijing Auto Show, which I was supposed to be at, but, thanks to some unpleasant slowness in getting my visa, I’m not. Maybe I’m a little bitter. Geely said they’d get me out there soon to see all the Good Stuff, so hopefully soon I’ll have all manner of exciting eyewitness Chinese car news for you. Until then, I’ll just have to tell you about things the PR people want to show me. Like these four Nissan concept cars.
The cars are the Epoch, Epic, Era, and Evo, which, ironically, was the original name for the Pep Boys until Era ran off to become the actor we now know as Nathan Lane and the rest of the brothers changed their names to Manny, Moe, and Jack. True story, look it up if you don’t believe me. Anyway, all of these are EV concepts, with Epoch and Epic being a battery EV sedan and SUV, respectively, and the Era and Evo being plug-in hybrids, this time SUV and sedan, respectively.
It’s interesting to note that Nissan, like Toyota, sees the immediate-term value of plug-in hybrids. Also that the sedan is still a viable body style, in this very SUV-saturated world.
Here’s a nice slick video Nissan produced for the event:
There’s not a lot of specs or anything to go on here – they’re concept cars, after all, so I wouldn’t really believe any numbers they say now, anyway, though I will relay what Nissan is saying about each car in their press release:
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The Nissan Epoch Concept is an EV sedan for urban and suburban go-getters who wish to enhance their lifestyles with design and technologies. The concept has an AI-expanded Internet of Things, and its virtual personal assistant makes life easier and more comfortable through communication that recognizes emotions.
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The Nissan Epic Concept is an EV SUV perfectly suited for adventurous city couples who explore on weekends, with autonomous driving for both the city and on highways. The vehicle can function as a mobile power source, with electricity to power equipment, campsites or parties. Meanwhile, its on-board technologies support and create a relaxing atmosphere.
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The Nissan Era Concept is a plug-in hybrid SUV that supports urban lifestyles and is well suited to young businesspeople who treat their car as a second home. With an interconnected entertainment system and zero-gravity seats, its advanced e-4ORCE all-wheel control and active air suspension provide both a comfortable and confident drive.
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The Nissan Evo Concept plug-in hybrid sedan is perfect for weekend getaways and creating special moments for the whole family. In addition to its advanced driver support and safety functions, its AI-enhanced virtual personal assistant helps properly deliver the intended drive and journey.
So, you know, the usual PR bullshit about exploring and lifestyles and cars as second homes and creating special moments and all that shit, which, frankly, you can accomplish just as readily in a 1994 Mercury Villager. For a lot less money, too.
But what I can talk about definitively now is the very interesting lighting design that we’re seeing on these concepts, and how that lighting design is informing what could be the new corporate face of Nissan. Here, take a look at the Epic:
Slashes! Slashes of light! Of varying thicknesses! And look how they wrap around the body corners:
It’s exciting stuff, and it’s nice to know future owners can make pretty good representations of the face of their cars in one line of normal text, like how VW people can do (O\_!_/O) or Jeep people can do [O|||||||O], so these new Nissans could be \\\\\\\\\O/////////. That’s pretty cool.
The slashy goodness continues around the back, too:
The other SUV, the Epoch, has a similar lighting signature:
I like how the slashes recline and turn into the side marker lamps at the corners there, especially. I don’t see evidence of a reverse lamp or where the indicators would be (China requires amber ones) but I think we can attribute that to concept car freedom.
The sedans sport a slightly more toned-down variation of the slash design at the front. Here’s the Evo:
Fewer slashes, wider slash-spacing, which means the email-signature version may look like this: \ \ \ \ \——o——/ / / / /. The rear seems to dispense with the slash look entirely:
That’s a very Volvo-looking rear end, if you ask me. The Epoch’s lighting design is similar, with even more toned-down slashes in favor of a light bar above, and hockey stick-like slashes below:
The rear end light treatment here is quite different, with a full-width light bar and those little schematic bowl-shapes below.
All of these lighting concepts I think are distinctive and work well, and if Nissan wants to tie them back to a heritage design, I think they can, thanks to this fantastic old Nissan:
Yes! The Pulsar NX! The OG slash-taillight-haver! This was a deeply clever and novel car, and a worthy source of inspiration. So, I hope this thing was on some mood boards at the styling department when they were coming up with these.
Nissan desperately needs an injection of novelty and interest into their lineup, so these concepts and their associated design language seem like a good start. Let’s see if they can actually bring them to reality.
