A Mobility Car That Fits Four in One Car's Space?

The "NISSAN New Mobility CONCEPT" was jointly developed within the Nissan-Renault Alliance. It features an electric motor at the rear and lithium-ion batteries mounted beneath the floor. Renault plans to launch it in Europe under the name "Twizy Z.E." in 2011.

The target for the Twizy Z.E. is young urban dwellers. Meanwhile, Nissan's spokesperson explained, "There's a societal backdrop of increasing elderly populations and single-person households. At the same time, most car trips are short-distance and usually with only one occupant. We want to emphasize the unique characteristics of this model, considering these realities."

The unveiled model was a prototype, but it shared the same door design as the model Renault plans to sell. It notably lacks side windows, featuring instead upward-opening, so-called scissor doors. Rear passengers sit with their legs extended forward, straddling the driver. It indeed gives an impression closer to a motorcycle than a car.

The Twizy Z.E. measures 2.32m in length and 1.19m in width, making it possible to park four of them within a standard passenger car parking space. The electric motor offers two output levels: 15kW (20ps) for countries requiring a passenger car license, and 4kW (5ps) for those that do not. Accordingly, there will be two top speed versions: 45km/h and 75km/h. The vehicle weighs approximately 450kg, with the batteries accounting for 100kg. Housed beneath the front passenger floor, the battery pack is designed for easy replacement.

Nissan's spokesperson stated that the Nissan version's release is "undetermined." Nissan Motor Corporation, which is conducting demonstration experiments with Yokohama City for the realization of a sustainable zero-emission society, unveiled the concept to coincide with the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit in Yokohama. With the launch of the four-door electric vehicle "Leaf" scheduled for December 2010, Nissan Motor Corporation, alongside Renault, has set a goal to "become the world leader in zero-emission vehicles." The "NISSAN New Mobility CONCEPT" is one of the promotional balloons for this objective.