Nissan has used the recent unveiling its Lannia Concept at the Beijing Motor Show as a showcase for the direction its design language is set to take.
The Nissan Lannia Concept serves up an intriguing admixture of saloon and fastback body styles incorporating newer takes on such existing signature styling characteristics as the arrow-shaped headlamps and V-framed grille with strong rear haunches, flowing character lines and a tapering glass house that flows into the rear window.
Nissan product boss, Andy Palmer, describes the Lannia as a “sedan theory-breaker” that personifies the “post-80s” design ethos from which China has emerged. As a co-operative effort between Nissan China and the firm’s Global Design Centre, the Lannia’s styling has also been described as a spiritual successor to the company’s long-serving Bluebird.
According to Palmer the Lannia is “designed by Chinese, built by Chinese for the Chinese people, and ultimately, for the world.” Thus hinting that a potential production version could well be destined for global consumption.
Should this be the case, it would be quite fitting if this model reached our shores, given South Africa’s long history of manufacturing several generations of Bluebird-related at its Rosslyn, Pretoria, facility.
