Nissan’s don’t-call-it-a-concept Bladeglider

Nissan's electrically-driven Bladeglider has a narrower front wheel track than rear.

(Credit: Nissan)

There must be something a little strange in the water at Nissan design headquarters. Over the last few years it produced such funky models as the Juke and the Murano CrossCabriolet. And proving the point further, the company just released photos and video of the Bladeglider, a vehicle it insists is not a concept.

The Bladeglider is a three-seater vehicle using an electric drivetrain. In Nissan’s press materials, it points out the Bladeglider shares engineering principles with the Leaf.

While both use lithium-ion batteries, the Bladeglider gets two in-wheel motors on the rear wheels, as opposed to the Leaf’s single front-wheel-drive motor.

The Bladeglider’s drive architecture probably comes as a necessary adjunct to its design, as it has a much narrower wheel track in front than in back. Such vehicles have a tendency to tip in corners, but the dual rear-wheel motors will let Nissan include a stability program that can overdrive the outside wheel in a turn.

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