Nissan Hi-Cross Concept - Possibly the new Rogue?

[philipa_240sx]

Nissan debuted the Hi-Cross Concept at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show. The model rides on a 109.4" wheelbase which is slightly bigger than the Rogue (105.9") but smaller than a Murano (111.2"). Interestingly, the Hi-Cross is powered by a hybrid powertrain which combines a direct injection 2.0L gas engine and an electric motor. It's said to give the power of a 2.5L motor but with better fuel economy.

Could this be the new Rogue? Maybe a new Murano? Nissan isn't saying anything other than the Hi-Cross is a "Global Concept".

Press Release: http://nissannews.com/pressrelease/3298 ... wed-geneva

Inside Line Article: http://www.insideline.com/nissan/hi-cro ... -show.html

More images here: http://nissannews.com/image-gallery.do? ... =468&mid=1

Images courtesy Nissannews.com

[kerrton]

Great find Philip, you beat me to it again! (I thought the Geneva show didn't begin until March 8th). Nice styling, looks like a proper lower door sill design which would make me happy, I see lots of similarities with the current Rogue and even the Mazda CX5, interior looks very cool and highly stylized. Third row seats look like a torture chamber but probably would never make it to the North America anyway. I'm most interested in powertrain details provided they're relevant to NA and not just Europe.

Boy the authors of the InsideLine article put in zero effort into researching the topic. They ignorantly state that Nissan "seems to think there's some room for another crossover between the Juke and Murano, well you can never have too many crossovers I guess". This vehicle already exists, it's called the Rogue, it's existed since late 2007 and has been a Nissan top 3 seller in North America every year.

[kerrton]

Here's coverage from Autoblog Canada, similar limited comments although they seem to think this may be a replacement for the Murano which in my opinion is not likely. I found some of the reader comments towards the bottom of the page interesting, most felt this is close to the next-gen Rogue design.

[TaiLuu]

Has to be the successor of the murano. It's huge. And the muranos been around for quite a while.
But could be the next juke or rogue since it has a small motor.
I'm not liking the fact that its a hybrid.

[kerrton]

I'm ok with the hybrid as long as it's a quality well-engineered system AND they can provide it to consumers for a reasonable cost. The main issue with hybrids has been and still is the added cost, not to mention the added complexity so I'm not confident I'll be interested in a hybrid any time soon - I also don't like to be an early adopter and guinnea pig tester for the manufacturer. Nissan has used the Toyota hybrid system in its early hybrid models but it is now releasing its own in-house Nissan system which is still very new compared to Toyota who have at least 10 years of mass market experience.

If they could make this a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) for a reasonable cost they may just hit a home run - for most people the plug-in battery power alone is more than enough to accomodate 95% of their driving needs (i.e. 100 miles or less per day) meaning you only need to purchase gasoline for occaissional highway road trips.

Either way I don't expect the hybrid powertrain to be available initially anyway, they'll likely phase it in as an option in later model years and even then it will take many years to get good market penetration, in my opinion.

[dolbydj]

That's got to be the Rogue. The grill and the stance especially. It looks good. Solid style, not overdesigned. They will probably offer 7 seats like some Cuv's and move the Murano upmarket later. Maybe merge the two models for the time being? But, Carlos Ghosn and Nissan's recent success is based on product launches, parts sharing, and design initiatives. Great job! I hope it isn't too expensive.

[philipa_240sx]

They will probably offer 7 seats like some Cuv's and move the Murano upmarket later. Maybe merge the two models for the time being?

A few things to note:

1) Nissan already offers the Qashqai +2 (Basically a stretched Rogue with a 108.7" wheelbase) with 7 passenger seating in Europe. The Hi-Cross could be seen as an evolution of this model.

2) The new 7 passenger Pathfinder CUV will be coming to market later this year. It will fill a gap in Nissan's product line and will compete against the Highlander and Explorer.

3) The Murano has a place in this market. It's a premium 4 passenger CUV much like the Lexus RX.

[kerrton]

I agree Philip, there is room and market share for all 3 crossovers and 4 if you count the Juke. This mirrors other successful automakers such as Hyundai who has the Tucson, Santa Fe and Veracruz, MAzda has the CX5, CX7, and CX9, Ford has the Escape, Edge, Explorer AND Flex (yes that is 4 crossovers to choose from)!! As a consumer it makes for a very daunting and difficult process to research and decide on a vehicle purchase.

I'd say this concept will more of less be the next gen Rogue, it's too small to be the Murano and there is no way Nissan will reduce the dimensions of the Murano but they may slightly increase the size of the Rogue and may consider adding a 3rd row option which in my opinion won't be a big game changer but it really depends on the design details.