Designed by teams in Europe and Japan, the Gripz is Nissan’s vision of what a future sporty compact crossover might look like. About an inch shorter than the Nissan Juke, the Gripz marries the body of a sporty coupe with the high-ride of a traditional utility vehicle. Nissan says it used its Safari Rally-winning 240Z as inspiration for the Gripz.
The front end of the Gripz features Nissan’s signature V-motion grille and boomerang-shaped headlights. Embedded within those front lamps are cameras that can record and even live stream the view ahead.
In profile the Gripz is more coupe than crossover thanks to a sharply-raked rear hatch inspired by the Z. Helping with its sporty vibe, the Gripz features a pair of reverse-opening half rear doors, similar to the setup used on the Mazda RX-8.
The rear of the Gripz gets a set of boomerang-shaped taillamp that mimic the car’s front lights, a ducktail spoiler and a pair of exhaust outlets. The Gripz rides on a set of three-spoke 22-inch wheels shod in rubber specially designed by Bridgestone.
Inside the four-seater Gripz features an interior inspired by racing bicycles. As a result the Gripz has plenty of exposed tubes and thinly-padded bucket seats.
The Gripz concept is powered by Nissan’s Pure Drive e-Power hybrid drive system. Consisting of a gas engine and the same electric motor found in the Nissan Leaf, Nissan says the Gripz is good for 107 horsepower and 187 lb-ft of torque. Nissan didn’t breach the topic of drive wheels, but with a name like Gripz, it’s assumed that the concept is all-wheel drive.
Nissan says the Gripz was not designed as a replacement for the current Juke, but we’d wager several of the concept’s design cues will make it into Nissan’s next-generation small SUV.
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