2015 Geneva Motor Show: Nissan Sway concept

After dropping a couple of teasers, Nissan has unveiled the Sway concept at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show. With the Sway, Nissan is emphasising on two keywords - 'dynamic' and 'sporty'. Nissan's design director, Keisuke Otsuki says that since the European market expects even a small car to be quick and sporty and the Sway previews a compact hatchback that is both fun to drive and good to look at.

The design incorporates all the latest Nissan bits you can think of - the boomerang headlights and tail lights, the V-shaped grille and the floating roofline which is an evolution of the design seen on the Juke and the new X-trial. The Sway concept dons an X-shaped roof though, with glass surfaces filling up the sides to create a roomier effect inside the cabin. The concept also features suicide doors and a tiny rear windshield. The concept claims to have a low centre of gravity, while the wheels stretching out at the far corners of the car should enable good driving dynamics as well.

On the inside, the dashboard elements follow a design theme that Nissan likes to call the Gliding Wing, with the centre console forming the spine and the dashboard fascia spreading out symmetrically around it like a pair of wings. The twin-pot instrumentation looks simple yet sporty with its amber backlight and fine read-outs. The dashboard and upholstery is draped in soft-touch materials, while all elements that require the driver to grip, that is the outer rim of the steering wheel and the gear shifter/selector, are made of metal. There is a touch panel infotainment in the centre console. The air-conditioning vents and knobs still employ a rotary design like the Micra.

We believe that the Sway hatchback actually previews the next-generation Micra. With the current model, which was given a facelift a couple of years back, Nissan had made it clear that it wants to shed the Micra's feminine image and design a more metrosexual car that could appeal to a wider market base. The Sway's simple yet sporty design could be the right balance that may appeal to a global market.

2015 Geneva Motor Show: Nissan Sway image gallery

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