Nissan unveils fully autonomous electric vehicle concept called IMx

Nissan has pulled the covers off its IMx concept, which hints at a crossover SUV with fully autonomous driving capabilities and an electric range of 373 miles.

Revealed at a Tokyo Motor Show press day, the concept is part of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility programme, which looks at “how cars are powered, driven and integrated with society”.

The Japanese car manufacturer says the key technology found in the IMx is the fully autonomous driving capability, which shows a more advanced version of the existing ProPilot driver aid found in its existing cars.

When the driver selects the autonomous driving mode, the steering wheel retracts into the dashboard and the seats recline to give passengers more space.

The interior is inspired by traditional Japanese design techniques, with a wood-grained patterned display that wraps around the door trims, which gives “a subtle sense of the outside” like a Japanese paper screen.

Meanwhile, passengers can control the instrument panel with eye movement and hand gestures.

The IMx sits on Nissan’s new electric vehicle platform, which has been designed for zero-emission driving from the ground up – one advantage of this is a flat floor, which increases cabin space.

Power comes from an electric motor on both the front and rear axles to provide four-wheel drive, producing 429bhp and 700Nm of torque.

The Nissan IMx will be on display at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show, which takes place at the Tokyo Big Sight venue and is open to the public between October 27 and November 5.