Nissan TeRRA [w/Gallery]

Nissan has added another entry to the list of things see at the upcoming Paris motor show in the shape of its TeRRA SUV concept.

The TeRRA is a seeming oxymoron as an electric SUV, mixing two of Nissan's strongest market segments into a vehicle that resembles a cross between a Leaf and a Patrol. "You have the big tires, high belt-line, thick pillars and thin side windows of the SUV vocabulary,” explains Shiro Nakamura, Nissan senior vice president and chief creative officer. “But with a slender waist between pronounced fenders above the wheel arches, and a sculptured hood, we've created an 'Implied Structure' of musculature under the skin.”

Inside, the door panel is sculpted from blond wood trim and colored acrylic and layered, while a metal frame runs at shoulder height. The wood/metal theme continues across the dashboard – a beechwood-acrylic fusion – and the steering and instrument console narrows out toward the driver.

However it's the layout that looks most interesting with an unusual staggered seating position that places the driver near the center line, with passengers looking over the shoulder of those in front. "For the driver to be nearly centered, not seated off to one side, provides a fresh, enlightened perspective with exceptional visibility," Nakamura said. "The diagonal layout allows all passengers to share the vision of adventures up ahead."

We'll be aiming to hop aboard in Paris to check out this new perspective for ourselves.

Gallery: Nissan TeRRA

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