At the dawn of the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, Nissan has taken the covers off the interesting IMs EC Sport Sedan Concept. It is an electric autonomous car of the future that seemingly looks to try and save sedans. The premise is,... newish. Nissan envisioned the raised up electric sedan with a really interesting interior layout, an all-wheel-drive system, and autonomous gear. If I go back to 2017, I can find the Volvo S60 Cross Country. See, the S60, not the V60 Cross Country. The S60 Cross Country sedan was on sale for some time. It was basically a raised up sedan, with soft off-road gear inherited from its wagon brother. So, now Nissan did the same, only with a twist. A hell of a twist might I add.

Does The IMs EC Sport Sedan Concept Previews The New Maxima, or the New Primera?

Honestly, probably neither!

As the producer of the electric bestseller - the Leaf, Nissan has a sort of an obligation to smash the borders of conventionality with every electric car the company plans to introduce. And boy did it smash the walls with the IMs EC Sport Sedan Concept.

The cars simply look futuristic and damn good. Yet, Nissan managed to link the current design traits such as the V-motion design language with the grilles nature of the IMs EC Sport Sedan Concept (a mouthful). That with a twist as well. This gave the IMs a proper family connection with all the current Nissan production cars.

Yet, I can see a curiosity here. See, Nissan never actually entered the world of modern four-door coupes (I know you hate this word, but that’s what they are). The IMs EC Sport Sedan Concept does invite a certain sporty coupe attitude usually reserved for the likes of the A7, the Arteon, or the CLA. The question I had - does it remind at all of the 2001 Primera. That was a sort of a sedan with a swept back roof. A fastback if you will. While I may squeeze in some similarities between the design of the new IMs EC Sport Sedan Concept and the old Primera, I choose not to because these two are fundamentally different in their character.

Plus, at 190 inches in length, it is more than 15 inches longer than that old Primera.

The IMs EC Sport Sedan also sports a 114-inch wheelbase (quite generous) and a width of 74 inches.

The lights are the most impressive here, though. In fact, Nissan used LED lights to notify other drivers and bypassers of the activated autonomous system. If it’s activated, the headlights and the rear lights turn blue. This is apparently the way this Nissan car will notify people about its autonomous nature.

New Interior Concept

With all drivetrain gear lodged under the floor (and I mean all of it), the designers created a rather cool seat arrangement. Two at the front are of the standard design, but the three at the back aren't. In fact, at the center of the second row sits a really comfy seat Nissan dubbed the “Premier Seat”. Two smaller seats are located at the sides of the premier seat and they actually fold. It is roughly similar arrangement as in the new McLaren Speedtail, only with smaller and foldable outboard seats.

The rest of the interior is rather flamboyant in its style with all kind of geometric shapes decorating the dash and the doors (rear doors are “suicide doors”). Some shapes on the inside look like 3D printed, but Nissan did not mention anything about 3D prints. Actually, the interior does have a bit of a DS vibe. Kinda unusual, but I am OK with it.

Basically, its shape and convenience depend on the selected mode. It will become driver-centric with the Manual Mode but select the Autonomous Mode and all the “driving distractions” are eliminated. Focus on the conversation, chill out, work or even eat a BigMac.

How Does It Drive?

No one knows how does the Nissan IMS EC Sport Sedan Concept drive. Obviously, it has an AWD system that comes in handy with its raised height (as tall as the Mercedes GLA) and elevated ground clearance. The batteries (completely sank beneath the floor) have a capacity of 115 kWh. That’s huge!. So is claimed 380 miles of range for the IMs EC Sport Sedan Concept.

While I do not expect the IMs EC Sport Sedan Concept to reach production, I do believe it suggests a novel approach with the design of the new electric cars. One of the most important technologies included in the IMs EC package is Nissan's new Invisible-to-Visible connected-car technology. This is a technology that uses sensors, the Internet and communication with other cars to acquire road details and information that you, as a driver, can never see (congestion, weather, advanced navigation, or an accident on the route). Then, it can project it all on the displays, or the windshield.