The Tokyo Motor Show will soon open its doors. It's also a must-attend event for Nissan, which will be showcasing a whole range of vehicles. Among them are production models, racing cars, studies and the interesting five-door hatchback Nissan Z.
Students from Nissan's automotive technical school designed a car and two other vehicles as part of the training. Although they will be exhibited at the exhibition, they are one-off examples that are not intended for production. Because we are fans of education and creativity and have no intention of destroying the dreams of young minds, we present the cars to you anyway.
With Lealia
We have to start with the Z hatchback because it's so unusual. And by the way, this is the answer to a question that no one has asked before. Based on the platform of the second generation Nissan Stage, it has angular sides and a four-door layout. The face is clearly derived from the new Z model, and the oddly shaped rear from the Nissan Leaf. To make it all match, the Stagea was stripped, widened, welded and finally coated in Ikazuchi Yellow to give it a real Z feel.
The unusual hatchback 'I used to be a coupe' was made by fourth-year students at Kyoto University. It is described as a 'sports hatchback for family travel'. There's no mention of a powertrain, but since it's under the Stage's custom body, we're guessing a VQ35 V6 drives the rear wheels.
NEO Skyline
If you look closely (if you can stand it), you might recognize the Infiniti G35 in this blue coupe. This unusual piece is based on the V35 Skyline from the mid-2000s, which was introduced in the US as an Infiniti. The bodywork is a mix of past and present Skylines.
The flat nose and curved roof pillar curve were carried over straight from the 2000s, but we're not entirely sure what happened at the rear. With slightly closed wheel arches, it is somewhat reminiscent of the Skyline 1973GT from XNUMX. Here, the sheet metal over the rear fenders bends in the form of an inverted wedge, which, according to Nissan, should represent the present day.
This car was also designed by fourth-year students in Kyoto. The name comes from the fact that this car is a combination of past and present that appeals to older, nostalgic buyers while also being exciting for a younger audience. The shape and appearance of the Neo-Skyline model is definitely...interesting.
Bluebird Kiwami
The Nissan Bluebird U11 shares the same underpinnings as the first generation Maxima. The model shown emphasizes those proportions with a wide kit that even Rocket Bunny would be envious of. At first glance, the Bluebird clearly looks like a coupe. But a look at the heavily sculpted rear wheel arches reveals the rear door handles. Nothing against the other two models shown here, but the 'coolness' award clearly goes to the big sedan coupe from the XNUMXs.
It's the product of third-year students at Nissan's Aichi campus who are training to become coachbuilders. Considering the extensive body work that went into this vehicle, this is a very fitting project to showcase their expertise.
The students' Nissans can be seen live at the Tokyo Motor Show from January 10-12, 2025.
