The manufacturer Nissan came to the Detroit auto show with an electric SUV concept that removes the slightest physical instrument in favor of screens and a virtual assistant materialized in the form of a koi carp. An amazing blend of tradition and modernity.
Seven touch screens and a personal assistant embodied by a fish: we’re not talking about a boat here, but a car. At the show car in Detroit (United States), which has just opened its doors, Nissan introduced a new concept car making screens digital the single interface outside of the steering wheel and pedals.
The Nissan Xmotion (pronounced “cross motion” ) is an electric SUV whose lines are reminiscent of the model presented at CES ( Consumer Electronics Show ) by the Chinese Byton: massive size, angular lines, disproportionate grille. But it is inside that is the real surprise. No less than seven touch screens are distributed over the entire width of the dashboard, the center console and in place of the interior mirror.
The interior of the Xmotion thought of as a Japanese landscape
These screens are manipulated with gestures, voice and movements of the eyes, dixit the manufacturer. When the driver identifies himself via the fingerprint reader incorporated in the center console, a most amazing virtual assistant appears. It is a koi carp, this majestic fish that adorns the ponds of Japanese gardens.
However, Nissan explains that the interior of the Xmotion is inspired by a Japanese landscape, with the floor representing a river surmounted by a floating central console which represents a wooden bridge. This spectacular piece as well as the dashboard, also made of wood, use traditional Japanese carpentry techniques. There is little chance of ever seeing the Xmotion on the road. Too bad, because at a time when the dashboards of modern cars tend to look like an airplane cockpit, this refined mixture of modernity and tradition has something soothing.
