CONCEPT CAR

Nissan's latest concept car points to a new crossover and hybrid powertrain

Will it really reflect the new Murano? 

It certainly could, because Nissan bills the Resonance as a global concept car. There are so many obvious lines in the study car indicating so.

The angular C-pillar theme, for instance, is pure Murano, while the clip-like front and rear lights have already started to appear in some Nissans like the 370Z sports car _ but in a far less restrained manner.

The rakish proportions and the accentuated V-profile up front are certainly likely to influence the third-generation Murano, due by next year at the earliest.

It will also be interesting to see if the Resonance could inspire the replacement for the smaller Dualis/Qashqai/Rogue because they are ageing more than the Murano.

That's quite a nice-looking dashboard...

It certainly is. Note how everything is neatly stacked into either the instrument binnacle behind the new four-spoke steering or the centre console. You won't find switches out of place.

Interior points to a clean-looking dashboard layout.

We think that such a design should be a blueprint for future cars. Ergonomic reasons aside, an uncluttered fascia feels rightly modern. Those of you who have been fortunate to get behind the wheel of the Leaf EV should get the picture.

What kind of hybrid powertrain is lurking beneath the Resonance?

Nissan merely says that a 2.5-litre petrol engine is hooked up to electric motors that can spin all four wheels.

Such a hybrid could provide buyers with another option from today's gas-guzzling 3.7-litre V6 petrol and 2.5-litre inline-four diesel-turbo, both mated to CVT and six-speed automatic accordingly.

Another new technology in the Resonance is the next-generation CVT which Life found to be more efficient than today's version after driving a prototype at Nissan's Advanced Technology Briefing event in Japan late last year. Along with this new transmission, the hybrid is not only slated for the next Murano but also the all-new Teana due here early next year.

Isn't Nissan tepid with hybrids in Thailand?

That is very true, a top executive of Nissan once told the assembled Thai press that "hybrid isn't the only solution" when asked about hybrid's tax advantage over other kinds of alternative technology in the country.

However, it would be pretty difficult for Nissan to altogether resist the hybrid notion for the Teana in Thailand because Toyota has already sold it successfully in two generations of the Camry (today it is a 2.5-litre petrol-electric and CVT combo).

And if you take a closer look at the new CO2-based tax structure that is tabled by the government for introduction in 2016, the hybrid still retains an advantage _ even pure EVs are subject to the same rates _ over other more conventional technologies.

Might as well just follow along with what the biggest of all players is doing, you could say.

Resonance is a radical evolution over today’s Murano.

Nissan’s crossover family