Nissan's new concept car is designed with a certain kind of customer in mind: a selfie-taking, social media obsessive who doesn't know life without technology in it.
Called Teatro for Dayz (let that soak in), the concept car on exhibit at the Tokyo Motor Show is covered in screens. Nissan said in a press release it's the first car designed specifically for "the generation known as 'digital natives,'" though it quickly introduced another term for this group.
"Designing a car to appeal to the generation we call 'share natives' required us to intentionally not use knowledge and tried-and-true approaches we had amassed," Executive Design Director Satoshi Tai said in the release. Share natives don't care about acceleration, power or "supreme quality."
Instead, according to Nissan, they want a car that allows them to connect and share experiences with their friends. While Nissan didn't go into specifics about how drivers and passengers connect with people not in the vehicle, we assume there's ample ways to upload photos, post statuses and chat using the car itself.
Car connection
Not only does Nissan want Teatro for Dayz riders to share from the car, the company wants them to share what they're doing with the car, too.
It's design is described as a "clean canvas." The stark white interior can be transformed using different images displayed on the screens, letting users "design their own experiences, connect with friends, display an attitude and freely share them."
Concept images show everything from a wood and leather design to grass to games displayed on the dashboard, seats, headrests, door trim, steering wheel and even the outside of the car.
There are no conventional knobs or buttons as those would disrupt the flow of the screens, or "would limit display arrangement and expression" as Nissan puts it. Instead, users can control the AC and audio systems with voice commands and motion sensors. Meters and the car nav dash appear on the instrument panel when the car is in motion, but disappear once it's parked.
The exterior of the car looks like a Kia Soul, but according to Nissan it resembles the smartphones that share natives have glued to their hands (our words, not Nissan's).
While Teatro for Dayz is just a concept at this point, Nissan is confident it will get immediate feedback (if and) when the car hits the streets.
"How will share natives express themselves with this car? Just wait and see," said designer Tai. "They'll share their first experiences on social media." They sure will.
