Nissan’s first concept car designed specifically for Brazil is making its global debut at the Sao Paulo auto show in Brazil. The Extrem, an urban compact 2+2 targeted at young, city-based car enthusiasts, previews a new genre of urban compact sports cars.
“Brazil is a country of great natural beauty and it has a passionate, rich culture. But this is not always reflected in the cars on its streets, especially the more affordable locally produced vehicles which tend to be conservative in design, colour and specification,” commented Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer. “Extrem, with a dynamic, high-character design, is far from conservative.”
The model was designed by Nissan Design America (NDA) in San Diego, California, in collaboration with Brazilian designers and produced in Brazil.
“We call it Baby Beast,” said Robert Bauer, Senior Design Manager for the project at NDA. “We see it as an urban rally car, a tough little street fighter that can handle the urban jungle with agility and confidence.”
The Extrem is based on Nissan’s V-platform shared by the March, but is taller, wider and longer at 1,530mm x 1,765mm and 3,850mm, respectively, with a wheelbase of 2,450mm. The model is powered by a direct injection and turbocharged 1.6-litre gasoline engine, which Nissan says could be offered with a choice of front- or four-wheel drive with Torque Vectoring for enhanced handling capabilities.
Nissan has stated that the Extrem is strictly a concept car and emphasises that there are no immediate plans for production. However, elements of its styling will be incorporated into future products for Brazil and other markets.
“Extrem suggests that exotic and exciting design need not just be reserved for expensive cars. It shows that innovative, sophisticated design can be made in a clever, attainable way. Extrem is one of our answers to this possibility and it opens an exciting new chapter in our design relationship with Brazil,” said Nakamura.
In addition to the Extrem, the Nissan booth in Sao Paulo will also display the company’s entire line-up on offer in Brazil, along with the new Nissan Altima scheduled to go on sale locally next year, a Nissan Leaf Taxi from a current pilot project in Sao Paulo, and the next generation Xtronic CVT, along with a Frontier 10 Years special edition pick-up that celebrates the first decade of Nissan’s production in Brazil, and the Nissan March Rio 2016 limited edition model linked to Nissan’s sponsorship of the Olympic Games 2016.
Nissan is aiming to boost its share of the Brazilian new car market from nearly 2% in 2011 to 5% by 2016. Last year its sales in the country doubled. It plans to launch eight new models in the country and expand its dealer network from 153 outlets to 239 by 2016. Since 2002, the OEM has been making models locally at a plant in São José dos Pinhais, Parana. This will be joined by another facility, currently under construction in Resende, in Rio de Janeiro, in 2014.
