Nissan Esflow is a Small RWD Sports Coupe Concept that runs on Electricity and it will Debut in Geneva

The time has come for Nissan to release its plans for the rapidly approaching Geneva Salon. For this year's edition of the show, the Japanese automaker has prepared an impressive sports coupe concept named the ESFLOW. It has most of the right ingredients to satisfy purists, including a rear-wheel drive layout, a 0 to 100km/h [62 mph] sprint time of under 5 seconds, two seats and an aggressive design, but there's a catch: it runs purely on electricity.

The Japanese automaker claims it has "captured the excitement of a sports car and the environmental benefits of an electric vehicle and blended them into one dramatic two-seater concept".

The ESFLOW has been created from the ground up as a pure electric vehicle using technology introduced in the Leaf EV. The concept model runs on two electric motors with an unspecified output that are placed above the axis of the rear wheels, in a mid-ship position. These motors independently control the left and right wheels, with Nissan claiming that the torque is optimized to ensure vehicle stability and control as well as efficient power regeneration.

The company says the electric motors produce enough torque in an instant for the car to reach 100km/h (62 mph) in under 5 seconds.

The motors are powered from the same laminated lithium-ion battery packs used in the Leaf, but in ESFLOW the packs are located along the axis of the front and rear wheel. The batteries are said to offer a driving range of over 240 kilometers or 149 miles on a single charge.

The car also features a composite body that covers an aluminium chassis which incorporates its own roll cage.

We don't have any photos of the interior yet, but Nissan said the cabin is "clean and open" with weight saving measures being a priority throughout its design.

And just in case you were wondering about the type of customer that Nissan envisions buying the ESFLOW, the automaker released a short fictional story which you can check out below.

[From Nissan Press Release]

The Driver

Daniel, an ESFLOW owner, works in tech, but lives for the weekend. On Friday night after work, he gets behind the wheels of his ESFLOW which instantly links with his pocket PDA and determines the fastest route to his girlfriend’s home. Finding street side parking is a synch as the ESFLOW’s compact dimensions allow it to slip into the narrowest of spaces. On Saturday he drives to a popular club to exhibit his DJ skills and his friends are impressed by his cool EV sports car.

On Sunday he drives through the mountains for leisure. ESFLOW’s superb weight distribution and unobstructed view ahead enables him to effortlessly nail every apex, every time. His descent from the mountains is more relaxed and he allows the ESFLOW to overrun on the long sweeping curves, turning the potential energy he and the car gained climbing up the gradients back in to electrical energy he can use once he hits the roads around Barcelona.

As his ESFLOW sips energy in its garage Daniel prepares himself for the week ahead, batteries fully recharged.

READ MORE - Nissan Esflow is a Small RWD Sports Coupe Concept that runs on Electricity and it will Debut in Geneva

VIDEO: Nissan Esflow Sports Coupe Concept in Some Tron-Like Digital Action

Leaving aside the name which sounds like something a German (no offense) would say to an English bloke that stole his parking space, Nissan's Geneva motorshow-bound Esflow concept is a very interesting proposal for a pure-electric sports coupe. It uses the Leaf's battery technology but with a lot more juice from the electric motors that motivate the rear wheels and a dramatic coupe styling. Following an initial release with photos and preliminary details (see here), Nissan has now published a CGI video of the sports coupe study that you can watch right after the break.

READ MORE - VIDEO: Nissan Esflow Sports Coupe Concept in Some Tron-Like Digital Action

Nissan Announces Nine Models for Tokyo Auto Salon Including Juke Sporty and Leaf Aero Concept

At the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon 2011 with NAPAC (Japan Car Parts and Aftermarket Promotion Association), to be held from January 14 to 16, Nissan, together with Autech Japan and its in-house NISMO performance division, will premiere a total of nine vehicles.

Highlights will include the zero-emission LEAF Aero Style Concept equipped with a futuristic looking bodykit and matching alloy wheel designs, and a special version of the Juke fitted with exterior accessories designed for the European and North American market models.

Autech Japan will showcase three vehicles, including the Elgrand Rider Premium Concept, which is the JDM version of the N.A. Quest minivan, the customized Serena Rider and the March-Based Bolero (Micra for those outside Japan).

Finally, NISMO will present its new production race car, the GT-R RC, alongside the tuned 355HP Fairlady Z (370Z) and the GT-R racecar that competed in the 2010 SUPER GT series.

READ MORE - Nissan Announces Nine Models for Tokyo Auto Salon Including Juke Sporty and Leaf Aero Concept

2010 Nissan Qazana Small Crossover: Production Model Rendered

At this month's Geneva Motor Show, Nissan took off the covers on the Qazana, an out-of-space concept study that supposedly previews the design of an all-new sub-Qashqai small crossover that is bound to enter production at the company's Sunderland factory in the UK in 2010. While we can't say how close or far the concept is from reality, the folks over at Japan's Best Car magazine attempted to give us an idea of the production Qazana with this artist's impression.

Our take? For Nissan's sake, we sincerely hope that the actual production model will look much better than both the rendering and the concept study... For more information and eye-soring photos on the Qazana Concept, click here.

READ MORE - 2010 Nissan Qazana Small Crossover: Production Model Rendered

Love it or Loathe it: Nissan Qazana Small Crossover Study

Supposedly previewing Nissan's new small crossover model that's expected in 2010, the Qazana made its first ever appearance at the Geneva Motor Show. It goes without saying the production model that will be built at the firm's Sunderland plant in the UK, will feature a much less dramatic design that the concept study. That said, don't expect to see the Qazana's suicide rear-doors or 20-inch alloys making it into production.

"The Qazana concept is an intelligent, all-wheel drive crossover which is masculine, agile, lean, and designed for the tough city streets," said Atsushi Maeda, Studio Chief Designer, Nissan Design Europe. "Our team at Nissan Design Europe (NDE) in London realized this image with the motif of a modern day beach buggy and four-seat motor-bike," Atsushi added.

Mixing SUV and a few sports car styling cues like the low roofline, the design proposal for a "baby" Qashqai is quite compact measuring 4,060mm in length (110mm longer than a Ford Fiesta but 277mm shorter than a Focus), 1,570mm in height, 1,780 in width and has a wheelbase of 2530mm.

Inside, Nissan claims that the shape of the centre console and armrest have been inspired by the fuel tank and seat of a sports motocycle. "I enjoy the sensation of being at one with my bike and wanted to capture that feeling in Qazana," said Paul Ray, senior interior designer at NDE. ""The way the structure appears through the fabric of the interior also reflects motorcycle design and construction."

The Japanese automaker did not reveal any information on the concept's mechanics other than it is equipped with the firm's next generation fully electronic ALL MODE four-wheel drive with torque vectoring system.

READ MORE - Love it or Loathe it: Nissan Qazana Small Crossover Study

Nissan Releases Teaser Shot of Qazana Small Crossover Concept

The undisputed star of the Nissan stand at next month's Geneva Show will be the Qazan Concept which promises to provide a good indication of the, as yet unnamed, small crossover that the Japanese automaker is readying for production at its UK Sunderland plant from 2010. While the first official teaser shot of the car leaves a lot to the imagination, Nissan did reveal that the Qazan is a five-door model with the rear doors opening forwards once the front doors have been opened, in the style of 'suicide doors'.

Nissan said that the trial builds of the production version will begin in early 2010 before its introduction on the Micra/Note line. There it will take up manufacturing capacity created when production of the current Micra ends later that same year.

Trevor Mann, Nissan Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe, commented: "The difficulties currently facing the car industry have been widely documented, and Nissan has not been immune. As a result we have had to make some difficult decisions, but the reason we have done so is to secure a long and positive future for the plant. Qazana points the way to that future and gives an indication of the unique and exciting car we will be producing in Sunderland next year."

READ MORE - Nissan Releases Teaser Shot of Qazana Small Crossover Concept

Insider: Nissan Qazan Compact Crossover Concept to Premiere in Geneva

Carscoop has learned that Nissan will take the wraps off a new compact-sized crossover concept at the Geneva Motorshow in March. Our sources told us that the concept car will be called Qazan and in effect, it will preview Nissan's new compact car that will arrive in European showrooms in 2010. The Japanese automaker disclosed its plans to expand its crossover portfolio beyond the Qashqai, Qashqai+2 and the Murano in June 2008, when it released the teaser sketch of the compact car that you see above.

The new compact crossover will be built at Nissan's Sunderland plant in the U.K. where it will take up the manufacturing capacity created when production of the current Micra ends in 2010. The Japanese firm's next-generation supermini will be shifted to a new plant in Chennai, India that is currently being built by the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

READ MORE - Insider: Nissan Qazan Compact Crossover Concept to Premiere in Geneva