Take a look at this sporty-looking Nissan Gripz crossover SUV which was unveiled at Frankfurt this week. Featuring gigantic 22-inch wheels and scissor doors, we think this crossover looks perfectly bonkers!

Nissan are branding the Gripz as ‘a new breed of sporty compact crossover for a new, younger generation.’ In fairness to them, a 17 year old sixth-former will adore it with cascading roofline and garish wheels.

Whatever you think of it, we think we can all agree it’s certainly adventurous. The Gripz was inspired by classic desert rally cars and racing bicycles after all, with Nissan specifically naming the original Z car, the 240Z, as its main source material. Which we thoroughly approve of, by the way!

The concept features a carbon frame with some carbon elements exposed though the body. There are nods throughout to previous Nissans too, such as the 2020 Vision Gran Turismo and Sway Concept, particularly in the imposing V-motif grille and rectangular lamps at the front end.

The Gripz has a 2+2 interior layout but is still most definitely a sports car with plenty of carbon fibre, metal and aluminium exposure, as well as a bike-inspired centre console on the synthetic leather seats. A three-spoke retro steering wheel also evokes thoughts of the iconic 240Z.

The Nissan Gripz is equipped with an EV technology hybrid system called ‘Pure Drive e-Power’. Under the bonnet it uses the same petrol engine used in the Nissan Leaf. This configuration delivers an apparently smooth, swift and linear acceleration in near-silence.

The huge three-spoke, 22-inch carbon fibre wheels and enormous scissor doors are most probably going to remain purely a fantasy, unfortunately, with no official plans to put the Gripz into production. But it still showcases where Nissan, being the pioneer of the crossover, could take the segment next.

http://www.koboup.com/2015/09/nissan-gripz-concept/