The new Nissan Elgrand? Fully electric van concept previews potential Volkswagen ID Buzz rival

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Nissan has been on a roll releasing a series of electric vehicle concepts in advance of the upcoming Japan Mobility Show, with their latest concept – the ‘Hyper Tourer’ – revealing a striking interpretation of a potential future people mover.

It’s possible that the concept seen here could preview the fourth-generation of Nissan’s Elgrand, the brand’s people mover van which is currently sold overseas. 

The Hyper Tourer is the third Nissan concept car revealed in as many weeks, following the reveal of the ‘Hyper Urban’ and the ‘Hyper Adventure’ last week. 

However, while those concepts were both SUVs, the people mover bodystyle of the latest Nissan concept has allowed the Japanese brand to experiment with the interior design elements even further.  

A futuristic design inside and out

Like the Hyper Urban and Hyper Adventure electric concepts, the Hyper Tourer also features a futuristic design and heroes the concept of V2X (vehicle-to-everything) functionality which essentially refers to the EV battery being used as an energy source to power anything from homes to offices to gadgets.

The exterior design combines both smooth panels and sharp character lines and there is also a white waistline which ‘serves as a headlight and signature lamp’.

While there are similarly futuristic design elements to Nissan’s previous concepts, the people mover packaging naturally also affords Nissan extra allowances with what it can do for the interior especially.  

Nissan has also highlighted other factors such as the use of ‘high-energy density all-solid-state batteries’ have also helped to maximise space further.

As well as this, Nissan says the packaging has helped it achieve an ‘ultra-low center of gravity, which when combined with the vehicle’s advanced e-4ORCE all-wheel control system produces smooth and flat acceleration and deceleration’.

Another striking of the interior features is a flat LED planner in the floor which displays imagery of a riverbed and the sky – Nissan says this is designed to ‘create a relaxing space where digital and nature are fused’.

However, perhaps most impressive of the interior features are the front seats which can rotate 360-degrees, similar to variants of the Kia EV9 due to be sold overseas. Coupled with fully autonomous driving capability, this enables the driver and front passenger to face and interact with their rear passengers.

Nissan has also highlighted other futuristic technology featured in the car including an AI system that ‘can monitor your biometric signs – including brain waves, heart rate, breathing and perspiration – and automatically select complementary music and adjust the lighting to fit your mood’.

Not only this but passengers in the rear seat can use a wearable display through which they can ‘view and operate the navigation and audio on the front-seat centre display’. 

A people mover renaissance?

The Hyper Tourer is revealed by Nissan at a time when people movers are generating some publicity. 

Recently we reviewed the new Volkswagen ID Buzz which has been confirmed for Australian arrival in late 2024, and before that the Hyundai Staria made some waves with its futuristic design. 

Lexus has also recently made waves by moving into the people mover segment with the launch of the luxurious LM. Set to arrive in Australia in December, pricing has been announced to start at $160,888 before on-road costs. 

While there have been some headline grabbing new models, the people mover segment is dwarfed by Australia’s love affair with SUVs. Last month the Kia Carnival was the most popular people mover for Australian customers by far (1123 sales). In contrast, 62 customers took delivery of the second-placed Hyundai Staria.

Nissan sells an Elgrand people mover in the Japanese domestic market however this has never been sold officially by Nissan in Australia. 

Currently, Nissan offers two electric vehicles in the Leaf hatch and Ariya midsize SUV – which has not yet been released in Australia – but plans to roll out 19 new EVs to market by 2030 as part of its electric strategy acceleration efforts. 

The Hyper Tourer concept will be on physical display at the Japan Mobility Show when it begins on October 25th.