2017 Detroit Motor Show: Nissan Vmotion 2.0 Concept previews future sedan direction

THE Nissan Vmotion 2.0 Concept, unveiled at the 2017 Detroit Motor Show overnight, drops heavy hints of the Japanese carmaker’s self-driving, next-generation Holden Commodore fighter.

The large pillarless four-door sedan also expands Nissan’s current V-motion design language, boasting bold creases and origami-like surfacing in combination with rear suicide doors and an almost entirely glass roof.

The 4860mm-long concept car is a smidge shorter than the Nissan Altima medium sedan, though its 2850mm wheelbase gives it more distance between the axles. It straddles the gap between Altima and the now discontinued Maxima large sedan, but in terms of the cabin it’s more large car than mid-sizer.

While the Maxima was conservative to its core, the Vmotion 2.0 Concept treads a different path. Its four-seat interior ditches boring ol’ carpet in favour of natural zebrawood for the floor and door cards, with quilted leather seat upholstery designed to emulate what Nissan says is an “an exquisite handbag”.

Nissan has also teamed up with audio company Bose to equip its concept with speakers that generate a 360-degree sound field around the driver for the ultimate in surround sound.

Up front there’s a cut-down steering wheel designed to give an uninterrupted view of the car’s ultra-wide infotainment screen (controlled by a laptop-style touchpad), while the full-length centre console carries a smaller screen for the two rear passengers. The appearance is more luxurious and upmarket than is typical for the Nissan brand, which bodes well for the next-generation sedan that the company says this concept previews.

One aspect of the Vmotion 2.0 Concept that isn’t so readily apparent is its self-driving capability. Nissan says the Vmotion 2.0 features its Intelligent Driving tech that allows the car to pilot itself on urban roads and highways without intervention from the driver, though the seeming absence of a camera/radar sensor package suggests this concept’s capability is theoretical rather than actual.