In a grand celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nissan Design Europe (NDE) being headquartered in London, Nissan’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Makoto Uchida, made a special visit to NDE to reveal an exciting new urban electric concept car named Nissan Concept 20-23.
The spectacular unveiling of the Concept 20-23 took place on a floating barge stationed just outside NDE, along the picturesque Paddington Basin stretch of the Grand Union canal, a location integral to the studio’s unique and inspiring environment.
Designed by a team of young talents within NDE, the Concept 20-23 was tasked with a creative challenge: to design an electric city car without constraints, one that they themselves would love to drive on the streets of London. The name “Concept 20-23” pays tribute to NDE’s two-decade presence in London, utilizing the company’s traditional “ni” (2) and “san” (3) numbers along with the current year, while also embracing Nissan’s tradition of infusing playful innovation into hatchbacks and city cars, reminiscent of the iconic Pike cars like Be-1, Pao, Figaro, and S-Cargo.
Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s Senior Vice President for global design, commented on the Concept 20-23 at its London unveiling: “The young team here at NDE was given a simple brief: design a fun electric city car that you’d like to drive every day in London. The 20-23 Concept they designed is a compact hatchback strongly influenced by the online racing world. I love the story it tells about how the worlds of modern city living, online gaming, and zero emissions mobility intersect.”
Drawing inspiration from the worlds of online racing and Nissan’s involvement in Formula E, the Concept 20-23 boasts a 3-door hatchback body style with radical aerodynamic enhancements at the front and rear. These enhancements include deep skirts that direct airflow, cooling apertures for the brakes, and vents behind the front wheels. The car’s clean front surface hosts distinctive LED headlights with a unique semi-circle design, creating a friendly and futuristic appearance.
The car’s muscular profile features extended wheel arches housing large wheels with low-profile tires, while vented louvers on the arches reduce air resistance. Angular intersections at the lower door frame the air outlets, and extended skirts provide a sleek look along the lower body.
At the rear, a single-piece spoiler emerges seamlessly from the roof rail, optimizing downforce without compromising visibility. The rear lights mirror the semi-circle LED design from the front and incorporate functional elements to manage airflow.
The textured grey exterior finish imparts a rugged, urban aesthetic, while the number “23” adorns the car’s rear three-quarters.
Inside, the Concept 20-23 continues to exude sportiness, with scissor doors, deep bucket seats, and a racing-inspired rectangular steering wheel loaded with controls. The interior maintains a minimalist racing aesthetic, featuring screens displaying essential information and a strong focus on functionality.
Alfonso Albaisa summed up the Concept 20-23 by saying, “It’s a fitting celebration of 20 years of NDE where bold ideas have taken shape and come to life.”
Nissan’s Concept 20-23 stands as a testament to innovation and creativity, merging the worlds of urban mobility, online gaming, and zero-emissions driving in one electrifying package.