What's all this about?
It's one of those bloody teaser releases, isn't it, this time coming from Nissan.
Could you tell me what I'm looking at in the image?
We think this is a crossover vehicle based on the Z-car line..., which would mean the 370Z, as that's the only current Z model in production. The resulting mash-up would fit at the top of Nissan's crossover/SUV showroom range, which starts with the Juke and runs through Qashqai to X-Trail. It's not a daft decision to expand the 4x4 offering in this way, as between them over the course of their production lives, these three have shifted 2.5 million units in Europe alone for Nissan.
So, this is a production car, then?
No, it's a concept due at the Frankfurt Motor Show that is almost upon us. Nissan says it is trying to 'move the bar higher' with crossovers and 'create a new way to feel driving excitement'. Although, lest we forget, it's had a go at a sporty SUV before - the Murano of 2002-2007, which utilised a detuned 350Z engine. And which was hardly a showroom success in these parts. Nissan will be hoping, if it greenlights this latest vehicle after a successful Frankfurt debut, that it will be more Qashqai than Murano in its sales performance.
Matt Robinson - 7 Sep 2015