Nissan Ellure Concept 2010 LA Auto Show

[Eikon]

FWD unfortunately. Remember that mainstream US car buyers still think FWD is better in a sedan.. so to sell the cars Nissan must comply with that.

The powertrain looks pretty interesting:

Supercharged 2.5L 4cyl making approx 240hp/258lbft tq + electric motor. I'm not sure what the cumulative equivalent is, but I would bet it will act like 300hp or close to it.

I wonder if they will start supercharging the QR25 for other applications? A supercharged Rogue or 4cyl Altima or G25 would be pretty sweet!!!

[MinisterofDOOM]

All this talk of "minivans" and "proportions" is archaic thinking.

Absolutely, positively, smegging NO. HELL no. That's like saying a nice butt on a woman is "archaic thinking." It IS what matters, aesthetically. It has not stopped mattering. It will not stop mattering. Classification and nametags have zero relevance. Proportions ARE aesthetics.

Styling "evolves" because designers run out of ways to be creative. What is attractive to the eyes doesn't change simply because Mr. Designer feels that he can't catch eyes without completely changing gameplans. And, as with most things in life, subtle design ages best, and looks best.

Proportions MAKE a car, aesthetically. Details count, absolutely. Bad details can ruin good proportions (see Lexus LS). But good details can't fix bad proportions.

Proportions like you see on this car originated out of necessity. Goes back to Chrysler's Cab Forward stuff. Cramming as much cabin space into as little exterior space as possible. It is particularly well suited to compact cars (limited real estate) and FWD layouts (which favor width over length in the engine bay). So of course it's most prevalent in the family car segment.

But when you come down to it, when you're looking at PURE aesthetics, it's ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS long-low-wide that looks good. Even in compact cars. This will not change. Because certain aesthetics are more pleasing to the eye. Evolution of styling trends does NOT change this. Neither do genre nameplates and media classifications.

For example, look at the recently axed Jaguar XJ. Not the new sleek one, but the old one. Expecially the XJR. That car is HANDSOME AS HELL. It looks stately. But powerful. Exceptionally refined. It's the automotive equivalent of James Bond.

Look at the Mercedes Benz S-class. The car suffers from poor detailing, but the proportions are stately and elegant. You can't ignore the wheelbase, and despite having modern sporty overhangs, there's a lot of hood and a lot of deck. There's also a lot of space between the wheel arch and the front door, and the wheel arch and the a-pillar.

Look at the BMW 5 and 7 series, any generation.

All these cars have the same things in common. They have certain proportions. The proportions are CRITICAL. Absolutely the opposite of archaic thinking. CRITICAL.

Even when you move down to small cars...look at the Mazda Protege or the B13 or the mid-90s Civic. All of them manage to have nice proportions. Then look at the likes of the new Civic, or B16, or recent Corollas. Terrible. Too-tall greenhouses with stubby overhangs and windshields stretching as far forward as they'll go to maximize interior space.

I'm not saying there aren't functional benefits to this kind of styling. But I am saying it has never been, and never will be, attractive.

Proportions will always matter. This has been the case since the first car was imagined, and will never change. The beautiful cars will ALWAYS be those with perfect proportions.

[Xdisaster240sX]

I'd rock the s*** out of that. It looks like it could be a new Maxima

[MinisterofDOOM]

I'd rock the s*** out of that. It looks like it could be a new Maxima

BAN.

[AZhitman]

Proportions will always matter. This has been the case since the first car was imagined, and will never change. The beautiful cars will ALWAYS be those with perfect proportions.

And I'm saying this: If "perfect proportions" are defined as those seen on cars built prior to 2011, then you're in for a disappointment, because they're gone. Permanently.

Gone by virtue of necessity. Blame the Feds.

That's like saying perfection is an upright chrome radiator or a front fender that melds seamlessly into a running board. Gone.

I know beauty - you and I have many of the same taste in cars. I'm just saying this, to me, is a handsome design, when viewed through the lens of modern (post-2010) design.

Now - when they water it down for sale, I'll be disappointed. For sure.

[MinisterofDOOM]

My eyes just don't evolve to keep up with trends. Rolls, BMW, Morgan...all know how to keep the beauty of old alive while injecting modern touches. New deBangled 5 and 7 are just as shapely as ever. If they can do it, so can Nissan. And Honda. And Hyundai. All of which have built cars I've called attractive in the past. But unlike BMW, they're trying to be "cutting edge" at any cost, rather than making genuinely nice-to-look-at designs. Hell, BMW TRIED that with Bangle, and it bit them squarely on the a**. They're back to making beautiful cars rather than here-and-now eyecatchers, and the result is that the F01 will be just as beautiful through the lens of 2050 as it is today.

IF the proportions of the past are gone, it's only because designers don't have the talent, balls, or correct motivations to keep them alive. Nice "for 2010" is crap. Nice forever or bust.

Just because it's not "fresh" and "new" and "original" doesn't mean it isn't good. I'm sick of "innovation." I'd like a little tried and true.

[Eikon]

Remember MOD we are talking about a concept car here.. Cutting edge is pretty much the idea. It'll be toned down when it comes to production.

As far as manufacturers keeping with traditional beautiful designs, they have to have the history of that design already in the stable.. See Porsche 911, BMW 3 Series, etc... Nissan doesn't have that in a Sedan. Really the only classic design they have to work from is the Z, which they did a really nice job of resurrecting with the roofline of the current 370z model. If you don't have a "classic" design, you have to keep trying something new until you find one that works.. which is what Nissan is doing.

As I said previously, I love the side profile of this new concept.. The high wheel arches and that little dip in the side line just behind the front wheel is just beautiful. Sure they will tweak some design features, but I sure hope that simple elegant line stays unchanged.

[AZhitman]

Just because it's not "fresh" and "new" and "original" doesn't mean it isn't good. I'm sick of "innovation." I'd like a little tried and true.

As would they, I'm sure.

Honestly, I think it's HARDER now to design a car than it was back then.

Previously, you could HAVE dead space. You could HAVE lights the shape / size you wanted. You could HAVE smaller or larger bumpers, swooping or snug-fitting fenders, radiused or arched wheelwells, etc.

FMVSS and NHTSA restrictions, plus CAFE, have tied designers' hands.

Granted BMW has found a way to operate within them. So has Caddy. Both still build pretty cars. But there's a hundred manufacturers vying for "uniqueness" but bound by ever-increasing limitations. Someone's bound to build something that infringes on someone else's design, OR something that you or I don't like.

Side note: We saw a 2011 Sonata at SEMA that was gorgeous - talk about making something outta nothing.

[Jesda]

If we're comparing this to space-efficient cars like the Dodge Intrepid, then yes, its stunning, but even Chrysler's LH cars were proportionally correct. The slope of the windshield kept the hood from looking short. If we're comparing this to other Nissans we've seen over the last few decades, its a little bit gimmicky and derivative. They'll sell plenty of whatever gets this shape, but I'll probably never buy it.

EU pedestrian regulations have ruined automotive design. They want fewer SUVs, but they want every car to have the upright nose of an Escalade.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Remember MOD we are talking about a concept car here.. Cutting edge is pretty much the idea. It'll be toned down when it comes to production.

Stuff like the suicide doors will be toned down, but the rest won't change much. Look at the Intima concept versus the production 2010 Teana. All it lost was the suicide doors and the headlights integrated into the hood. Even the glass roof might stick around...plenty of cars have them these days.

[IBCoupe]

EU pedestrian regulations have ruined automotive design. They want fewer SUVs, but they want every car to have the upright nose of an Escalade.

My classmates all made that argument, but I argued against them on it. The regulations narrowed certain aspects of the front of the car; we were given a new context within which to design, and I argued, a decent designer should be able to creatively find his way through it.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Pedestrian impact standards didn't narrow anything. They RAISED things.

[IBCoupe]

Good catch. I meant narrowed in the sense of possibilities.

[Jesda]

Ugh. No.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

Aesthetics bomb!



So ugly, Nissan couldn't even stand to reveal the whole car.

And hot damn, the Ellure is ugly. Ugly in 2010, ugly in 2011, ugly to the cockroaches that will crawl over it's rusting carcass in 2110.

[bunda4th]

I was at the LA Auto Show yesterday and got some pictures of it. Didn't get pictures how I would like to since there was a bit of a crowd. The car seem cool and the way the lights light up and turn off was pretty cool.

[scotty-2-forty]

I hope they keep the unobstructed suicide doors; I always loved those (started waaaaaay back with my dad's '64 Lincoln Continental)! BTW, is that center console acually illuminated on the sides (red)?

[AZhitman]

I'm gonna straddle this one -

Ellure Concept: Hot. I like the direction Nissan and Infiniti are heading with the Ellure / Essence characteristics. Anything to get us away from the arched, bulbous Alty / Max shapes of the prior generation of both cars.

Cross Cabriolet: WTF. I'm actually embarrassed to even look at that pile of ghey. I thought the SC430 / Solara / Crossfire convertibles were assugly, but that thing wins the prize. Yeah, I said it.

[scotty-2-forty]

I'm gonna straddle this one -

Ellure Concept: Hot. I like the direction Nissan and Infiniti are heading with the Ellure / Essence characteristics. Anything to get us away from the arched, bulbous Alty / Max shapes of the prior generation of both cars.

Cross Cabriolet: WTF. I'm actually embarrassed to even look at that pile of ghey. I thought the SC430 / Solara / Crossfire convertibles were assugly, but that thing wins the prize. Yeah, I said it.

Hehe, yep, 'bout as ghey as the PT Cruiser convertible ... what a PIG!

[AZhitman]

Yup.

Can't imagine who the target demographic for THAT thing is gonna be.... and it's GOTTA be killing their CAFE numbers across the board.

[bunda4th]

The interior lights does illuminate just like the headlight/tail light. When the front and rear lights turn on it move in a trail which is really cool. It does not just all light up.

The interior lights have several area that illuminate the red. It sucks that we couldn't get closer to it to see how the console is but overall I like it. I think its better to see it in person then looking at the photos.

[float_6969]

I would proudly rock that car, exactly as it sits. I don't care who it's marketed towards.