The Nissan Nuvu is a 2-door hatchback (2+1 seats) from Nissan, built from 2008, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids.
Where it came from
The Nissan Nuvu (Japanese 日産・ニューヴ Nyuuvu, literally meaning new view – "new look") is a compact all-electric city car produced by Japanese car manufacturer Nissan and presented at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The concept car featured 2+1 seating, with solar panels shaped like tree leaves on the roof that channel the sun's power through a "tree trunk" conduit in the centre of the vehicle.
It can reach about 75 mph (121 km/h) and travel up to about 80 mi (129 km) on an electric charge. A production model based on the Nuvu was not created, but some of the technologies used on the concept were subsequently installed on the production Nissan Leaf.
Under the skin
The record carries the shape — a 2-door hatchback (2+1 seats) — and the layout: the engine hangs behind the rear axle, a layout that gives ferocious traction out of a corner and a reputation to match on the way in. The engine, output and weight have not yet reached the open record, and MotorJury does not guess at them.
In context
Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Tesla Roadster, the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Hyundai i30 — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Nissan catalogue sit the Nissan N6 and the Nissan N7.