For Some Reason Nissan’s New Concept Car Is A Sports Sedan Turned Into A Camper That You Can Sleep In

We at The Autopian are huge fans of alternative vehicles you can sleep in. Sports coupes turned into camping vehicles, Top Gear’s leaning tower of Citroen, Saabs with Toppolas, that sort of stuff. The thing is, these sorts of vehicles are rarely factory efforts. However, Nissan has a new concept that blends performance car chops with an overnightable interior. What Nissan has done is take a Skyline, known to Americans as an Infiniti Q50, and turned it into a camper of sorts. Officially called the Nissan Contemporary Lifestyle Vehicle, this is a very different proposition from the Skylines of Gran Turismo.

It’s not uncommon for small campers to have a tiny sleeping area, but this concept actually has two ways to stretch out and relax. Not only does the front seat have an enhanced recline function, fold the rear seats down and you’re greeted with a padded surface into the trunk that could be used as a bed. At first glance, the second option doesn’t look any more comfortable than sleeping on the floor, but I’d love to be wrong. Maybe it’s a bring-your-own camping mat situation.

Perhaps the most interesting contraption is the passenger sun visor. If you need a space to work while parked, simply yank on the visor and it comes loose, allowing it to be unfolded into a steering wheel tray table with an easy-clean carbon fiber surface. The driver’s sun visor also cascades down but I’m still trying to figure out why. Still, once the tray table is set up, you can detach the infotainment screen and perch it atop the table for the entertainment of an entirely white screen. Yeah, that’s a bit awkward.

Should you get tired of staring at nothing on the infotainment screen, simply pop round the back, open the trunk, and unroll the projector screen. Oh yes. Now you can use the stowed projector to, I don’t know, watch Shrek? In all seriousness, the reverse-drive-in theater concept sounds brilliant because you could just set up a personal viewing wherever you like. Imagine hooking up an N64 and playing Mario Kart in the parking lot of a Taco Bell with your friends. Sounds like a blast, yeah?

There’s also plenty of storage cubbies and electronic convenience functions aboard this concept, although some seem a bit useless. For instance, the exterior compartment under the rear bumper sounds like a really good place for rubbish (see below), but deleting the woofer in the driver’s door card for blanket storage seems shortsighted.

Likewise, the household plug in the side-view mirror seems nigh-on useless, but the separate moonroof above the rear seats for stargazing in full recline sounds lovely. Other mostly useful oddities include a heated cup holder in the console, an easy climate control button in the interior B-pillar, and an umbrella hidden in the sill of all places, which sounds like a great way to both make your umbrella dry and make it completely filthy.

Of course, the Nissan Contemporary Lifestyle Vehicle stops short of giving you space to shit and shower, but that’s the sacrifice of a sports sedan. Judging by experience with the current Infiniti Q50, it should drive much better than a van-based camper. More importantly, can we just take a second to appreciate that Nissan believes a contemporary lifestyle includes a six-cylinder sports sedan with a longitudinal drivetrain and at least 300 horsepower? It could’ve just as easily made a camper out of an Ariya or a Leaf, but this is a stealthy camper concept for traditional car enthusiasts. It’s a sign that genuine weirdness is still alive at Nissan, and weird cars are beautiful things.

[Editor’s Note: This is obviously a gimmick concept car to get people talking about Nissan, but hey, it’s pretty damn random. They took a sedan and made it sleepable? Why? I have no idea. -DT]. 

(Photo credits: Nissan)

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