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Could the Nissan Xmotion Concept Preview a New Xterra?
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Fluff...sells. 
Will add that function trumps form in many ways, IMHO though.
For some, it is all about looks...function be damned.
Then there's the large gray area in the middle. -heh-
Will add that function trumps form in many ways, IMHO though.
For some, it is all about looks...function be damned.
Then there's the large gray area in the middle. -heh-
It's very rare for concept cars to be made-straight. Chrysler Corporation did it back in the nineties a bit and then again with the Magnum but by and large just about all concept cars are used for getting public opinion on design elements, not for making an exact model for production. Often times they couldn't even build the concept car on the assembly line without developing new processes, so using the concept car and feedback on it can help them evaluate if it's worth the cost to figure out how to create parts or assemble using certain processes.
They'll also throw on some flash that is there to look cool but would either serve no purpose or would even be a hindrance. Look at this wheel/tire:
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This is entirely impractical on an SUV and even bad on a street car. On an SUV that wheel would be damaged first time it went offroad, and on a street vehicle as soon as there's a flat the driver would lose control due to the bumps and probably crash.
Also note that the driver's door is opening past 90 degrees. The hinge mechanism would be much more expensive to support a door that could do that while maintaining the tight body lines, and there's no call to open a door that wide anyway since one wouldn't have the room in most parking lots.
My guess is they'll take some design elements from this concept vehicle that are well-received and apply them to something more conventional. Perhaps they'll use the sill to roof rough proportions or shape, or the ratio of body to glass, or even possibly some alternate variation on the wheel opening styling. I would be amazed if they tried to build something like this as a regular production vehicle though.
They'll also throw on some flash that is there to look cool but would either serve no purpose or would even be a hindrance. Look at this wheel/tire:
This is entirely impractical on an SUV and even bad on a street car. On an SUV that wheel would be damaged first time it went offroad, and on a street vehicle as soon as there's a flat the driver would lose control due to the bumps and probably crash.
Also note that the driver's door is opening past 90 degrees. The hinge mechanism would be much more expensive to support a door that could do that while maintaining the tight body lines, and there's no call to open a door that wide anyway since one wouldn't have the room in most parking lots.
My guess is they'll take some design elements from this concept vehicle that are well-received and apply them to something more conventional. Perhaps they'll use the sill to roof rough proportions or shape, or the ratio of body to glass, or even possibly some alternate variation on the wheel opening styling. I would be amazed if they tried to build something like this as a regular production vehicle though.
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