Nissan Sway created to bring fresh, high-end thinking to compact hatchback segment
Innovative design and product planning gave birth to the Qashqai and Juke, two of the biggest automotive success stories in recent years. Now the company has applied the same radical thinking to one of the most important sectors of the market: the compact hatchback.
Unveiled at the Geneva Show, the Sway is a glimpse at how a future generation of compact Nissan models might look if the company’s striking new design language was applied to a European hatchback. It is a concept car designed especially to appeal to European tastes: it is seen as emotional, edgy and exciting.
Sway has been designed to shake up the compact hatchback segment, traditionally a conservative sector of the market. With its swooping lines, striking nose, elegantly simple interior and bold use of sophisticated colours, the concept is a daring and emotional design.
The exterior blends four highly distinctive elements – the V-motion grille, floating roof, boomerang lamps and kicked-up C-pillar – to shape a new design signature that has already been seen on the Nissan Lannia Concept that was presented last year in Beijing at Auto China 2014, as well as the new Murano recently launched in the US. The Sway represents the first time this new design language has been expressed on a compact hatchback, while future Nissan models in different market segments in all regions will follow this styling direction.
Another feature of Nissan’s new design language is the floating roof, which is expressed this time by a panoramic glass roof, framed by an extended C-shaped construction running from the A-pillars along the side of the roof to the rear cross link above the tailgate. On the concept car this structure is highlighted by the use of a bold orange colour that contrasts with the blue-grey of the body.
Just two basic instruments face the driver, with all other functions captured on a large trapezoidal tablet in the centre of the dashboard visible – and usable – by both driver and front seat passenger.
Although a compact car, the lack of clutter, the removal of the B-pillar and the use simple yet elegant structures makes the interior seem larger than expected.
“We believe that the Sway continues our tradition of challenging the status quo in market segments by bringing something fresh, distinctive and striking, much as we did with Qashqai and Juke.
“With this new concept car for Geneva, we are experimenting to see how Nissan might be able to bring fresh ideas to the compact hatchback segment,” said Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President, Design and Chief Creative Officer, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
