Nissan reveal new hatchback concept
Nissan has announced some interesting, but sketchy, information about an all-new small hatchback ahead of its Geneva Motor Show debut.
The new concept car is called the Invitation and will sit between the Micra (city car) and the Juke (crossover).
As it is Nissan's version of a 'new innovative design', it will go up against supermini segment top dogs like the Kia Rio and the Ford Fiesta.
The new model will sit between the city car segment and the crossover segment, of which Nissan call a 'compact hatch', so it's pretty much a supermini-size model.
Its design incorporates what Nissan call a 'squash line'. This is a design feature on the side of the car that makes the car look a little sportier and aerodynamic.
It has a wide front grille spanning from headlight to headlight and its roofline flows to the front of the car and down, almost nose-like.
Inside the concept features an open cabin and plenty of fancy gadgetry. Some assist features of the car include Around View Monitor (AVM), which helps when parallel parking, and Nissan Safety Shield, which helps keep the driver aware of their surroundings.
Nissan has also said that it will be aiming to achieve sub 100g/km emissions for the new Invitation concept in keeping with the likes of the Ford Fiesta Ecomotive and Vauxhall Corsa Ecoflex.
The details are a little vague at the minute but more will be released when it is officially unveiled at Geneva in March 2012.
Vauxhall Corsa prices and Ford Fiesta prices are the big thing for the new Nissan to beat, but pricing details will not be revealed until much further down the line.
As a concept car, a production version would be more toned-down, but it is expected to eventually be built for the UK market.