Nissan New Concept Sedan (NCS)

Nissan New Concept Sedan (NCS)
CHICAGO - After Nissan unveiled its all-new 2000 Maxima at Chicago, it decided to reveal yet another design study it has been working on dubbed the "New Concept Sedan," or NCS. "We wanted to take a stab at reinventing the car," explained Jerry Hirshberg, President of Nissan Design International. "We didn't want to devise another car-like sport-utility vehicle or a car-like minivan. Instead we wanted to find new answers to the question, 'What is a car'?"

Great, Jerry. But after seeing it in the flesh, our question is simply, "What is it?"

Hirschberg said he believes vehicles are defined by their rear-top quadrant, identifying them as either a sedan, coupe, hatchback, convertible, minivan, SUV or truck. He noted that the NCS does not fit into a clear-cut category, but combines the long, rear roofline of a minivan with a hatchback's tail. Hirschberg calls it a "reinvention of the basic sedan," and the next "new thing in the car industry."

We'd just call it odd and ugly.

Even though people demand practical cars, they still want "carness," Hirshberg said. He believes the upper rear panels define a car, and that the upper rear of the NCS gives it its meaning. It also affords first-class, stadium/theater seating with limousine-like head- and legroom in the back seat. The glass-topped bubble hatch forces your eye to the roofline, but beneath it there's two storage compartments: a conventional load floor and a below-floor "basement."

While the overall shape of the NCS appears ungainly, functionally it is supposed to provide the low-to-the-ground stance of a car, the spacious seating of a big sedan, the cargo carrying ability of small minivan and some styling cues of a luxury sedan. "Once people get in, they realize the concept." Hirshberg insisted after the unveiling of the NCS brought only a smattering of applause. "It's a different kind of 'car'."

It's different, all right. Based on the initial response to the NCS, perhaps it's a little too different. Nissan Design calls the NCS a "car car," a new concept for niche vehicles, and was hoping to come up with a strong product to replace the Altima. Maybe it's a design that has to grow on you, but at first blush, it looks as if its appeal will be limited to a very small niche, indeed.