Former chief creative officer of Nissan, Shiro Nakamura, believes that current designs of EVs are too aggressive and that’s why his most recent creation adopts a far more subtle and less menacing face.
Nakamura was tasked by the small Japanese engineering firm AIM to design the EV Sport 01. Prior to joining AIM, he had designed various Nissan models, including the 350Z and R35 GT-R, and during a recent interview with Top Gear, said he designed the EV Sport 01 to be charming, something that cannot be said about many other EVs on the market.
“Cars can be charming too. I think nowadays all cars – well, maybe Mini is the exception – but most EVs are focused on looking powerful and aggressive. This is not aggressive,” he said, adding that he and AIM boss Yukinori Suzuki shared the same goal when creating the EV Sport 01.
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“We [Nakamura and Suzuki] shared the very same goal. This is not a big, heavy sports car. It’s very compact but high-performance and fun to drive. So, we made it clean and simple. Natural, clean and minimalist. You’ll see there are no contrasting surfaces, and the face is very charming. It’s not an angry face.”
While Nakamura was tasked with designing an EV that looks charming, Suzuki also told him to make it difficult to get in and out of because it is a “driver’s car.” The designer added that penning an EV represents a unique challenge when compared to a combustion-powered car.
“I don’t really think it matters what powertrain a car has, but I see the opportunity with EV design because the layout is new and you can challenge with a different layout,” he added. “Also, the proportions are not like with ICE cars. When you make an ICE car you have to clearly show where the engine is – a mid-engined car has a specific design, a front-engined car has a long bonnet. But with an EV it’s free. You have much more of a challenge to express powerfulness and energy.”
Powering the EV Sport 01 are a pair of electric motors at the rear axle that combine to produce 600 hp. The car is said to be good for 186 miles (300 km) of range between charges but the size of its battery pack is not yet known.
