Nissan BladeGlider “not an immediate priority”

Nissan's carbonfibre, three-seater, sub 370Z electric BladeGlider was expected to go on sale by 2017, however, it is still classified as "an exploratory concept” according to the company’s new chief planning officer, Philippe Klein.

“It is still on the table, but at the end of the day, it has to make sense to the company. We have the concept car, and it has the ability to surprise, but it is not big in our plans now. Before we jump in with a production car, there is a path to take - and first we must see the opportunity is there,” said Klein.

Revealed at the 2013 Tokyo motor show, the BladeGlider concept was originally described as a blueprint for an anti-establishment small electric sports car, based on the principles of the Deltawing race car. Styling of the production car was expected to change as compared to that of the concept - the BladeGlider was being described by design chief Shiro Nakamura as "an extreme interpretation" of how the car could look.

The deltoid body shape of the BladeGlider concept was shown wrapped in carbonfibre-reinforced plastic, with the interior seating three people. It got a narrow front-end to aid aerodynamic efficiency, while the carbonfibre underbody created downforce without the need for drag-enhancing wings. Largely due to the low and rearward positioning of the lithium ion batteries, and low weight of the in-wheel electric motors, the car's weight distribution is 30/70 front to rear. Much like the Deltawing race car, it has an extremely narrow front track, measuring just one metre, and a much wider rear track.

Speaking at the 2013 Tokyo motor show, then Nissan boss Andy Palmer said: "This is the car that takes advantage of all the packaging benefits of an electric powertrain. All that weight and the set-up of the front tracks mean that the car is incredibly pointy, but the rear track and downforce mean that you can catch the oversteer with amazing ease."

Production test mules of the BladeGlider, built around an Ariel Atom, were also known to have been produced.