The Nissan Concept 20-23 show car unveiled for Nissan's London design studio anniversary

25 September 2023, 17:16:03

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nissan Design Europe (NDE) being located in London, Makoto Uchida, Nissan's President and Chief Executive Officer, visited NDE to unveil an all-new sporty urban electric concept car called Nissan Concept 20-23. The unveiling of the new show car took place on a floating barge moored directly outside NDE on the Paddington Basin stretch of the Grand Union canal, a vital part of the unique NDE landscape, making it such a distinctive and inspiring location.

The Nissan Concept 20-23 was designed by a team including some the younger members of NDE, with the simple brief to design a car - with no constraints - which they would like to drive on the streets of the city where they work. The Concept 20-23 name reflects 20 years of NDE's position in the heart of London, as well as the company's traditional number 2 (ni) 3 (san) and the current year. It also continues a long Nissan tradition of bringing eye-catching playfulness to the world of hatchbacks and city cars. With the heritage of Nissan's so-called Pike cars, such as the Be-1, Pao, Figaro and S-Cargo, Concept 20-23 brings a 21st century twist to this small-car tradition.

The Concept 20-23's basic 3-door hatchback body-style features extreme aerodynamic addenda front and rear, with deep skirts which direct the airflow away from the front of the car, through apertures to cool the brakes and out through vents just behind the front wheels. The nose of the car consists of a flat plane from which angles up to the top of the hood, giving the front an unexpectedly clean surface. This is where the front headlights are positioned, with their distinctive appearance consisting of a thin upper and lower semi-circle and enhanced by a sharp beam thanks to LED technology. The turn signal is part of the same semi-circle LED unit. They give the front of the Concept 20-23 a friendly appearance, in among the complex shapes which govern the airflow.

From the side, the car's muscularity comes from extended wheel arches which shroud large wheels with low profile tyres. The top side of the wheel arches front and rear feature vented louvres to reduce the pressure that can create air resistance in the wheel bay. The curvature of the wheel arches finish abruptly at the level of the lower door where angular intersections frame the air outlet behind the front wheel. And the same angular slits on the rear wheel arches allow the airflow to cool the rear brakes. The extended skirts hug the body side on the lower portion of the car.

At the rear, a large single-piece spoiler emerges harmoniously from the roof rail, with endplates which curve from the near vertical close to the c-pillar over to the angled horizontal element which generates the downforce. Rear visibility isn't compromised by the rear spoiler, avoiding a common problem that sports cars with rear spoilers face. Like the front, each of the rear lights consist of a thin upper and lower semi-circle LED which contrast with the squared off forms of the lower portion which is defined by fiercely functional shapes to manage the airflow and to maximise the creation of downforce as the air escapes from under the car. The full width of the car is emphasised by a horizontal bar below what looks like a soft smile that defines the outline of rear hatchback.

While the Concept 20-23 car model is an exterior model only, the team of interior designers created an interior that reflects the extremely sporty nature of the exterior. First of all, entry is by two scissor doors which hinge upwards from the base of the A-pillar. A brace bar runs across the door openings covered in foam padding to protect elbows, requiring the driver and passenger to step over it in order to reach their seats. The two deep bucket seats offer tight support, but not at the expense of comfort. They are trimmed in a near-white finish, with a large head-support reminiscent of racing cars. Once in position, the driver is greeted by a long extended steering column which culminates in a rectangular sports steering wheel festooned with multiple controls and adjustments. Paddles to adjust the electric powertrain performance and additional switches are within fingertip reach behind the wheel.

The steering column is supported by a carbon-fibre mount which is itself bolted into position from the base of the large, open aperture which makes up the centre console. Between the two occupants, two metal beams hold the centre console in position and are bolted to the "spine" of the car that appears from the floor. Beneath the two brace bars, a fire extinguisher is mounted. The interior is a futuristic interpretation of a racing car's bare functionality. with just a couple of screens displaying vital information with minimal distractions – a reflection of where real racing cars – such as Nissan's Formula E entrant - inspire online racing simulator set-ups.

News related to Nissan or Concept 20-23

At the Japan Mobility Show 2025, Nissan will reveal an updated version of its Ariya electric crossover, along with a range of new vehicles and technologies. The refreshed Ariya, scheduled to launch in Japan later this fiscal year, features a sleeker exterior, Google-powered infotainment, Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability, and suspension tuning optimized for Japanese roads. While the Ariya will be discontinued in the...

10 October 2025

The Nissan LEAF, once a trailblazer as the world's first mass-market electric vehicle in Europe back in 2011, is making a bold return in its third generation. Launched in Copenhagen, the all-new LEAF arrives with a striking new design, a suite of advanced technologies, and an impressive range of up to 622 kilometers - placing it firmly among the top contenders in the segment. Designed in Japan and manufactured in...

8 October 2025

The all-new, sixth-generation Nissan MICRA will return to the B-segment in 2025 as a fully connected, pure EV. ales of the new MICRA will commence in Europe later this year. Designed at Nissan's Design Europe (NDE) in London, the new MICRA boasts a refreshed and distinctive new exterior look – combining a premium exterior finish and a ton of attitude with an SUV-like design, simple and uncluttered surfaces, and...

23 May 2025

Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi today agreed to terminate their MOU regarding the consideration of the structure for a tripartite collaboration, in light of the termination of the MOU signed on December 23 last year regarding the consideration of a business integration between Nissan and Honda. Going forward, the three companies will collaborate within the framework of a strategic partnership aimed at the era of...

13 February 2025

Nissan and Honda have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to start discussions and considerations toward a business integration between the two companies through the establishment of a joint holding company. The first MOU between the two companies was signed on March 15 regarding a strategic partnership for the era of vehicle intelligence and electrification. Since then, the two companies have held...

26 December 2024

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi Motors have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly discuss a framework for further intelligence and electrification of automobiles based on the agreement signed by Nissan and Honda on March 15. Nissan and Honda are working to further accelerate initiatives aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and a zero-traffic-accident society. In anticipation of collaboration in areas such as...

2 August 2024

Nissan unveiled four new energy vehicle (NEV) concepts and showcased a strong lineup of electrified models at Auto China 2024. The brand also announced that it will launch one more NEV in the market than previously disclosed, bringing the total of the planned vehicle launches to five by fiscal year 2026. The group of four concepts includes two EVs and two plugin hybrids, all developed jointly with Nissan's partner...

25 April 2024

Nissan showed its in-construction all-solid-state battery pilot line to members of the media at its Yokohama Plant in Kanagawa Prefecture. The pilot line is aimed to promote further the development and innovative manufacturing technologies of EV batteries. Under the Nissan Ambition 2030 long-term vision, Nissan aims to launch EVs equipped with solid-state batteries by fiscal year 2028. All-solid-state batteries...

17 April 2024

At the Japan Mobility Show today, Nissan unveiled the Nissan Hyper Force, the resounding finale of its innovative series of five “hyper” concept vehicles. With one EV concept revealed every week since Oct 3 leading up to the show, Nissan displayed its ability to envision a wide range of future customer needs and lifestyles and to enrich people’s lives with innovation and excitement. The Nissan Hyper Force is...

25 October 2023

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. today unveiled the Nissan Hyper Tourer, the third in its series of advanced electric vehicle (EV) concepts that will feature at the Japan Mobility Show starting October 25. The Nissan Hyper Tourer will appear at the show in physical form. This all-electric minivan focuses on nurturing and reinforcing the bond between people as they journey together. The Nissan Hyper Tourer concept is geared...

17 October 2023

In the lead-up to the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo later this month, Nissan is revealing a series of exciting all-electric concept vehicles, the first of which is the Nissan Hyper Urban, digitally revealed today at Nissan's new vehicle design hall within the Nissan Technical Center in Atsugi, Kanagawa. The series, to be revealed one by one in digital form leading up to the show’s press day on October 25, features...

3 October 2023

Nissan unveiled that its line-up in Europe will be 100% all-electric by 2030. A third of the million-plus Nissan EVs sold around the world have been in Europe, with the Nissan Ariya and the Townstar van the latest all-electric vehicles to hit the market. Since 2022 the Nissan range in Europe has been 100% electrified, including the addition of Nissan's e-POWER technology to the Qashqai and X-Trail. Tuned for...

25 September 2023

Back in January, it was announced that Nissan will invest in Renault's Ampere. Today, the two companies concluded the definitive agreements achieved back then. As part of this cooperation, Nissan has confirmed its intention to become a strategic investor in Ampere, Renault Group’s new EV and software entity in Europe. Accordingly, Nissan has committed to invest in Ampere up to Euro 600 million consistent with being...

26 July 2023

2024 Nissan LEAF is on sale now with a starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $28,140. The model was recently refreshed for the 2023 model year with an updated exterior design and streamlined model lineup of LEAF S and LEAF SV PLUS, representing the most-requested customer configurations. LEAF S features a 40-kWh lithium-ion battery and an EPA-estimated range of up to 149 miles. LEAF SV PLUS has a 60-kWh...

28 June 2023