Nissan Friend-ME Concept model year 2013

Nissan Friend-ME Concept model year 2013

Nissan Friend-ME Concept is a four-passenger sedan designed for a generation with a very different automotive outlook With an assertive impsing exterior featuring boldly flowing sculpted lines Friend-ME is a confident creature of the night, meant to be seen in bright city lights

The concept is applicable globally but the genesis of Friend-ME was Nissan's research into the aspirations of customers destined to emerge as the world's largest single market segment: the Bālínghòu which is how around 240 million Chinese born in the 1980s are known Specifically Friend-ME addresses the social dynamics of Chinese men in their mid-20s

Bālínghòu males are a huge cohort in the world's largest market, and they're now reaching their prime said François Bancon Division General Manager of product strategy and advanced planning at Nissan Clearly their tastes will shape automotive trends worldwide for decades to come So we believe it's important to listen with respect, and respond by putting dreams within their reach That's why Friend-ME is our first proposition in an ongoing dialogue

For a generation that grew up without siblings leisure time shared with peers is treasured

Edgy but mannered enough to go with the flow

This car asserts an imposing presence solidity and flowing lines give it an edgy muscularity.

With its exterior design Nissan Friend-ME addresses a fine balance that middle-class Bālínghòu youth must heed We call our solution Distilled Da Qi said Taiji Toyota Vice President of Nissan Design China Da Qi is about casting an aura about standing out, but at the same time going with the flow fitting in It's a question of balance and we've worked to refine it right down to the essence The result adds an entirely new and youthful dimension to the sedan category

Nissan Friend ME features a low and wide stance with short front and rear overhangs giving a chunky, aggressive and sporty impression The design's energy flows from the V-motion shaped grille and streams through the bonnet and shoulder lines while the headlamps and rear combination lamps are accentuated by its unique boomerang shaped lighting signature

The profile of the vehicle completely describes the progressive translation of Distilled Da Qi The thin and light floating roof and kick up shape around the C-pillar resonates well and produces sophisticated harmony Likewise the Neon Grey exterior colour specially developed to appeal to tech savvy youthful tastes shows its lines to full effect at night

Oracle stone empowers shared adventure

Inside front and back, driver and passenger all four seats are separate with the same high tech style and status because in this cabin all aboard are peers equals And all share the same information as the driver speed navigation fuel remaining everything.

Empowering all four adventurers is a unique centre console stretching from the dash to between the rear seats an iconic monolith in an onyx black finish Screens visible from each seat blend seamlessly with the surface only becoming apparent as they display whatever contents the buzz of the moment demands Whoever finds cool content can transfer it from his mobile to the on board screens so all can share in the fun

A dream within reach

Nissan Friend ME has been carefully designed as a dream within reach of young customers in China Based on an existing Nissan sedan architecture it requires a minimum of unique components The ecologically efficient PureDrive hybrid powertrain envisioned for Friend ME would deliver more than enough zip for city driving

That's the dream Nissan Friend ME delivers thanks to the collaboration between design teams from Nissan Design China (NDC) the Beijing studio established in 2011 and Nissan Global Design Center NGDC under the leadership and direction of Shiro Nakamura Nissan's Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer One of NDC's most ambitious designs so far Friend-ME is one of many in depth explorations of China's customer needs and aspirations now underway

If there's one thing we want Nissan to be known for it's uniquely powerful insight into what excites and delights customers across China said Bancon Friend ME is just the beginning