What is it?
Nissan Yanya
What's special about it?
What, besides your average Hollywood celebrity, looks better in pictures than it does in person? The Nissan Yanya concept vehicle, which the Japanese automaker unveiled at the 2002 Geneva auto show.
Based on the throbbing techno music and vibrant, nubile young models who bounced and danced on the Yanya's turntable for photographers at the Nissan display, this concept SUV is designed to appeal to a younger consumer. Like other European production and concept vehicles, the Yanya is an urban activity vehicle with four-wheel drive, room inside for four and plenty of functionality all wrapped up in a boxy, industrial-style package.
Where Nissan takes things a step further is with the Yanya's ability to be transformed into a sport-utility truck or a convertible thanks to its uniquely adaptable interior and roof. The four-paneled top can be completely removed and stored in the tailgate, effectively creating a convertible. This is a great idea, and one that will certainly appeal to the intended audience.
Cutting-edge information and entertainment systems are also included in the Yanya. A center console between the rear seats slides forward and turns into a table with docking stations for up to four PDAs. Internet connectivity lets occupants check e-mail or surf the Web, and a removable "entertainment box" allows you to take the party outside the Yanya thanks to its integrated speakers and power supply. Each occupant headrest contains its own set of audio speakers, allowing individual passengers to control volume and ensuring that the music can be heard even with the top removed.
Exterior design is industrial in nature: tall, squat and short with all four 18-inch wheels pushed out to the corners. Nissan wanted the look to impart strength and integrity. The bumpers, wheels and fender flares are coated with a soft, translucent acrylic gel to provide contrast with the hard, cold lines of the Yanya's body.
Inside, soft-touch materials are abundant, including color-coded applications of the gel on the Yanya's exterior. Blue marks protective surfaces, while orange indicates a function switch. Grained aluminum alloy is used extensively to create a simple, high-tech appearance. Flexible seating is mounted to a central tubular steel backbone promoting a feeling of spaciousness and lots of underseat storage room. As in most SUVs, the rear seats fold to create more cargo space, which is protected by a movable liner that allows the Yanya to function like a pickup truck when the roof panels are removed.
Why should you care?
There are some interesting ideas in the Yanya, a more innovative concept vehicle than Toyota's rather dull UUV. We like the flexible SUV/pickup/convertible functionality and the industrial design theme. But, like the person you picked up at a dimly lit party, this little trucklet isn't so attractive under the harsh glare of fluorescent lighting. — Christian J. Wardlaw
Nissan Yanya
What's special about it?
What, besides your average Hollywood celebrity, looks better in pictures than it does in person? The Nissan Yanya concept vehicle, which the Japanese automaker unveiled at the 2002 Geneva auto show.
Based on the throbbing techno music and vibrant, nubile young models who bounced and danced on the Yanya's turntable for photographers at the Nissan display, this concept SUV is designed to appeal to a younger consumer. Like other European production and concept vehicles, the Yanya is an urban activity vehicle with four-wheel drive, room inside for four and plenty of functionality all wrapped up in a boxy, industrial-style package.
Where Nissan takes things a step further is with the Yanya's ability to be transformed into a sport-utility truck or a convertible thanks to its uniquely adaptable interior and roof. The four-paneled top can be completely removed and stored in the tailgate, effectively creating a convertible. This is a great idea, and one that will certainly appeal to the intended audience.
Cutting-edge information and entertainment systems are also included in the Yanya. A center console between the rear seats slides forward and turns into a table with docking stations for up to four PDAs. Internet connectivity lets occupants check e-mail or surf the Web, and a removable "entertainment box" allows you to take the party outside the Yanya thanks to its integrated speakers and power supply. Each occupant headrest contains its own set of audio speakers, allowing individual passengers to control volume and ensuring that the music can be heard even with the top removed.
Exterior design is industrial in nature: tall, squat and short with all four 18-inch wheels pushed out to the corners. Nissan wanted the look to impart strength and integrity. The bumpers, wheels and fender flares are coated with a soft, translucent acrylic gel to provide contrast with the hard, cold lines of the Yanya's body.
Inside, soft-touch materials are abundant, including color-coded applications of the gel on the Yanya's exterior. Blue marks protective surfaces, while orange indicates a function switch. Grained aluminum alloy is used extensively to create a simple, high-tech appearance. Flexible seating is mounted to a central tubular steel backbone promoting a feeling of spaciousness and lots of underseat storage room. As in most SUVs, the rear seats fold to create more cargo space, which is protected by a movable liner that allows the Yanya to function like a pickup truck when the roof panels are removed.
Why should you care?
There are some interesting ideas in the Yanya, a more innovative concept vehicle than Toyota's rather dull UUV. We like the flexible SUV/pickup/convertible functionality and the industrial design theme. But, like the person you picked up at a dimly lit party, this little trucklet isn't so attractive under the harsh glare of fluorescent lighting. — Christian J. Wardlaw
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