Nissan says the Friend-ME concept is a four-passenger sedan designed for a generation with a very different automotive outlook, specifically 240 million Chinese born in the 1980s.
Nissan’s new Friend-ME concept has debuted in Shanghai. Nissan says the Friend-ME concept is a four-passenger sedan designed for a generation with a very different automotive outlook, specifically 240 million Chinese born in the 1980s.
“Bālínghòu males are a huge cohort in the world’s largest market, and they’re now reaching their prime,” said François Bancon, Division General Manager of product strategy and advanced planning at Nissan. “Clearly, their tastes will shape automotive trends worldwide for decades to come. So we believe it’s important to listen with respect, and respond by putting dreams within their reach. That’s why Friend-Me is our first proposition in an ongoing dialogue.”
With its exterior design, Friend-Me addresses a fine balance that middle-class Bālínghòu youth must heed. “We call our solution ‘Distilled Da Qi,'” said Taiji Toyota, Vice President of Nissan Design China. “‘Da Qi is about casting an aura, about standing out, but at the same time going with the flow, fitting in. It’s a question of balance, and we’ve worked to refine it right down to the essence. The result adds an entirely new and youthful dimension to the sedan category.”
Nissan didn’t provide many details about what powers the Friend-ME concept, but it is based on an existing Nissan sedan architecture and is powered by a PureDrive hybrid powertrain that packs enough power to zip around the city.”If there’s one thing we want Nissan to be known for, it’s uniquely powerful insight into what excites and delights customers across China,” said Bancon. “Friend-Me is just the beginning.”
