Nissan's 'inviting' new compact

Published Feb 7, 2012

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Nissan wants there to be no doubt in your head that this is an 'inviting' car, given that the company went as far as actually naming its latest concept car the Invitation.

Yet we wouldn't bank on Nissan actually using such a cheesy name on the production model that it previews, which will soon replace the Note mini-MPV.

Going head-to-head with the new Ford B-Max, Fiat 500L and Opel Meriva when it goes on sale in Europe in 2013, Nissan's next tall hatch promises both innovation and excitement.

Given that the Invitation is styled on the subtle side by concept standards, we're not expecting the design to change much in its transition to production format. Expect it to retain its side character line, which Nissan calls the 'squash line' and without which the Nissan would really battle to stand out.

WHY'S IT SO INVITING?

Says Nissan: “It is inviting thanks to its sensuous exterior design and generous and comfortable interior space, cleverly packaged within compact overall dimensions. It is Nissan's invitation to buyers in the compact hatchback segment.”

On the mechanical front, Nissan is promising class-leading fuel efficiency and emissions levels, the company having set a target of below 100g/km of CO2 for the greenest model.

The Invitation goes big on electronic aids too, packing Nissan's advanced Around View Monitor to help drivers with reversing and parallel parking and it has Nissan's 'Safety Shield' technologies to keep the driver award of what's happening around the car while on the move.

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