Nissan reveals concept livery for its Formula E debut season
Nissan has taken the next steps toward its debut in the all-electric ABB FIA Formula E Championship by revealing its concept livery at the Geneva Motor Show.
Image Supplied by Nissan South Africa
At last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan – the world's leading mass-market zero-emission vehicle manufacturer – announced it would debut in Formula E from season five which is expected to begin in December 2018.
As part of today's announcement, Nissan unveiled its color scheme for the season five Formula E car, which features striking new aerodynamics and an entirely new battery and powertrain package.
The livery for Nissan's Formula E program was designed by Nissan's Global Design team in Japan.
“At first glance the season five Formula E car looked to our design team like an EV-powered supersonic bird in flight,” said Alfonso Albaisa, senior vice president of global design at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. “Naturally this initial reaction from the team started us on a path that captured a sense of a form breaking free of resistance and gravity. Formula E racers are virtually silent, with explosive speed bursts thus naturally we turned to Doppler when designing the livery. The combination of the sonic pulse of the Doppler effect and the released power of a sonic boom inspired our celebration of EV Racing!”
The new package provides more power, more range and eliminates the need for the mid-race car swap which has been used in the first four seasons of the championship.
"Nissan is proud to be an innovator in electric vehicles on the road with the Nissan LEAF completing more than four billion zero-emission kilometers around the world*. Now, we want to bring that EV expertise to motorsport," said Jose Munoz, Chief Performance Officer, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
"The new Formula E car is being shown live in public for the first time this morning, and we're very excited to reveal Nissan's livery for our debut. The ability for Nissan to use this championship as a key development platform for our EV technologies and to be able to race in major city centers around the world makes it a perfect vehicle for us to showcase Nissan Intelligent Mobility."
Nissan Intelligent Mobility is the company's strategy to redefine how its vehicles are driven, powered and integrated into society.
While the new Nissan Formula E car livery was revealed for the first time today, work has been underway on developing the all-new technical package for many months as Nissan prepares for its debut.
Nissan is working with its partner Renault to leverage expertise and development already available, in keeping with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi automotive partnership's focus on collaboration and maximizing synergies to boost competitiveness. Additional details, including structure and drivers, will be announced at a later time.
"Nissan is bringing a lot to the table with our expertise in EV technology for the road and bringing it to the race track, said Nissan global motorsport director, Michael Carcamo.
“The level of competition in the Formula E championship is on the rise and we’re eagerly awaiting the unique engineering challenge ahead. We're entering the championship on a level playing field this year with every manufacturer competing with a brand new car, battery and powertrain combination from season five.”
Season five of the ABB FIA Formula E championship is expected to visit major international cities including Hong Kong, Berlin, Zurich, Rome and New York. The new car that will debut in season five is scheduled to race in the Formula E championship for the next three seasons.
Further details regarding Nissan's drivers and other technical and marketing partners for its Formula E debut are expected to be announced later this year.
*Total based on estimates from Nissan's Global Data Center (GDC). The total distance travelled by Nissan LEAFs globally is an assumption based on data gathered from Nissan LEAFs registered with NissanConnect EV, approx. 50% of global total sales.
About Nissan Formula E
Nissan will become the first Japanese automotive brand to compete in the all-electric FIA Formula E racing championship starting in late 2018. The innovative championship will be used to showcase Nissan Intelligent Mobility - Nissan's three-pillar strategy to redefine how its vehicles are driven, powered and integrated into society.
Nissan's entry into the electric street racing championship coincides with the launch of the new generation Formula E car which features striking new aerodynamics and an entirely new battery and powertrain package.
Season five of the Formula E series is expected to begin in December 2018 and visit major cities around the world including New York, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Zurich and Hong Kong. Nissan revealed its Formula E intentions at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show and will showcase its concept livery at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2016, the company sold 5.63 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.72 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500 and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999. In 2016, Nissan acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is today the world’s largest automotive partnership, with combined annual sales of almost 10 million vehicles.
For more information about our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.
About Nissan in South Africa
Nissan South Africa is the operational hub for Regional Business Unit South, serving Nissan's key South Africa market and 45 other countries in Sub Saharan Africa, including Angola, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria as well as the key Southern African markets of Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. In South Africa, the company offers a range of 24 vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands, including the popular locally-produced Nissan light commercial vehicles - the NP200 half ton pickup and NP300 one-ton Hardbody - produced at the company's Rosslyn plant, north west of Pretoria. Nissan made history locally in 2013 with the introduction of Africa’s first electric vehicle, Nissan's flagship Nissan LEAF. As well as boasting zero emissions leadership, Nissan is also a leader in the crossover segment. Among its product offerings are the Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail, as well as Juke. The Datsun brand has re-established Nissan in the entry-level market where the tailor-made Datsun GO is breaking new ground in the ‘riser’ market segment. Infiniti continues to make a mark in the luxury segment. Nissan is one of the top five automotive companies in South Africa.For more information visit our website at http://www.nissan.co.za
