在推出了一些列成功的非传统SUV，特别是Juke微型跨界SUV后，日产显然决定继续深挖这一宝藏，使其成为公司的下一个标志性产品门类。

而日产努力的成果，便是2015法兰克福车展上亮相的Gripz概念车。这辆外形圆润的SUV将会在日产已经足够丰富的SUV产品线内占据新的一席。“我们希望重新定义跨界越野这个门类，”日产欧洲设计中心创意设计经理Giovanny Arroba表示，位于伦敦的该中心便是负责设计这辆概念车的部门。

他指出，Juke的成功对于日产来说很重要，“这个门类对我们非常重要，我们很想知道究竟能走多远。”

由于Gripz可能在370Z下线的时候开始生产，因此粉丝担心Gripz将成为Z型车的替代品，然而事实远未达到这种程度。Arroba坚称，Gripz是一款不同于任何产品的车型，但日产公司已多次试图在Gripz和Z之间建立联系，因此人们才会怀疑日产计划将其作为下一代Z型车推出市场。

除了车名最后的“z”以外，Gripz概念车还装有带橙色喷漆的哑光黑色引擎盖。这个设计的是为了向Safari Rally Z——早期240Z的非公路赛车版本致敬，日产凭借它赢得了Sarfari拉力赛的冠军。

除了40年前的这辆越野赛车外，Gripz概念车的主要灵感来自于自行车，Arroba表示。它的车身架构是用碳纤维制成的，车身板镶嵌其上。回飞棒形的车门结构使用碳纤维元素。这种设计进一步强调了车身结构。

“自行车风格的设计灵感是内饰设计师首先提出的，但它引起了我们的共鸣，所以将其延伸到外观上来，” Arroba称。这个想法的核心就是将车身材料和汽车构件像自行车那样暴露出来，“我们不会去填补、隔开或隐藏这些部件。”

除了剪刀型的前部敞口和后铰链式的后门外，Gripz概念车的设计中不乏尖锐的角形元素，其中包括V-型格栅和内凹三角形门窗。就连排气管头也是梯形的。

Gripz发动机盖下方装有内燃机，因而会产生尾气。但它的动力系统是一个串联式油电混合系统，因此汽油发动机所产生的动力会带动发电机，用于驱动来自Leaf EV的电机。

日产没有透露更多的技术细节，只是表示这个电力驱动系统会给概念车带来流畅、细腻而刺激的驾驶体验，燃油效率也非常出色。

作者：Dan Carney

来源：SAE《汽车工程杂志》

翻译：SAE上海办公室

Nissan shows Gripz crossover concept

After a run of success with unorthodox SUV styling, especially in the Juke subcompact crossover SUV, Nissan has apparently decided to mine this vein as the company’s new signature.

The result, shown at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, is the Gripz Concept, a sleek crossover SUV that seeks to chisel another niche into the Nissan’s already-packed line of SUVs. “We want to redefine the crossover segment,” explained Giovanny Arroba, Creative Design Manager for Nissan Design Europe, the London studio responsible for the concept.

Citing the Juke as a prior success in this this effort, he said, “This is a very important segment for us, and we wanted to see how far we could push it.”

Far enough to ruffle enthusiasts’ feathers, who fear that the Gripz could be approved for production at a time when the 370Z may be dropped from the line, prompting them to view the Gripz as the Z-car’s replacement. Arroba insists that the Gripz stands on its own and is unrelated to other product decisions, but the company made enough attempts to link the Gripz to the Z that suspicions remain that Nissan views it as a next-generation Z.

Aside from the “z” at the end of its name, the Gripz Concept also wears a matte black hood with orange-red paint as a tribute to the Safari Rally Z, an off-road racing version of the early 240Z. Nissan won the Safari Rally with the car.

Aside from the nod to the off-road sports cars of 40 years ago, the main inspiration for the Gripz Concept was road bicycles, reported Arroba. The car features a carbon frame, with body panels mounted over it. Exposed carbon elements such as the boomerang-shaped door structure underscore its construction.

“The interior guys brought in the road-bike inspiration, and it spread to the exterior because it struck a chord with us,” said Arroba. The idea was to leave frame materials and vehicle componentry exposed as they are on bicycles, he said. “We’re not padding and insulating and hiding that,” he said.

Beyond the openings for the scissor front and rear-hinged rear doors, sharp angles abound in the Gripz Concept, from its V-shaped grille to its indented triangular sills. Even the exhaust pipe tips are trapezoidal.

It does have exhaust because there is an internal combustion under the hood, though the concept’s powertrain is a series hybrid, so the gasoline engine’s power spins a generator that powers an electric motor borrowed from the Leaf EV.

Nissan provided no additional technical details, just saying that the electric drive system lends the concept a smooth, refined, and exhilarating driving experience with outstanding fuel efficiency.

Author: Dan Carney

Source: SAE Automotive Engineering Magazine