Lannia’s style was first previewed by the Friend-ME concept, two years ago, but it doesn’t mean much because that was a general concept-car – it also influenced the latest Maxima, and will probably do the same with more Nissan sedans. The company really disclosed its intentions regarding this article’s car last year, with the concept presented in Beijing. Since the official information about the production version is still scarce, it’s hard to define even which would be its direct competitors. On the other hand, the automaker is certainly acting like that on purpose, because it really gives Lannia an interesting edge: the reason why we still don’t know to which segment this sedan will belong simply because it may not exist yet.
And what makes this vehicle capable of such feat? Its external design, mostly. The front fascia is a typical example of Nissan’s current design language, with several elements resembling the letter “V” and using boomerang-shaped contours – you should see this style trickling down to models such as Sentra and Versa in the next few years. When you to go the sides, though, you see a very unusual sort of sedan: its window lines converge in the upper part, while in most sedans they do it in the opposite corner. Combined to a third box which is as short as tall, such item makes the sedan’s silhouette look different from each angle you look. Parallel to that, a more obvious effect is the “floating roof”, which has really got Nissan’s interest – it’s also used by Murano and Maxima.
Elements like those, along with a rear end that ditches the old-fashioned chrome bar between the lights and places the license plate in an “intermediate” position (compared to the conventional ones), lead to think Lannia will target young buyers and, therefore, be a compact sedan. Given that the exterior is more than “subversive”, the automaker decided to focus the cabin on being comfortable and practical, rather than bringing more surprises. The dashboard components are horizontal enough to appear in a recent Toyota, but the two-tone coating with colors like the red of these pictures reminds you this car is dedicated to young people. However, compared to how most compact models deal with two tones, we can correct the target buyers to “young people with great taste”.
The last piece of information regarding this vehicle that has been officially disclosed so far regards the equipment list, although it doesn’t have anything new. You’ll find items such as automatic climate control, cruise control, full-LED headlights, keyless entry with push-button ignition, last-generation infotainment central, panoramic sunroof, and power seats. When it comes to powertrain, one can expect a range of downsized engines, perhaps including a hybrid version, and manual or continuously variable transmissions.