COLOURING OPINION
09/11/2007
Nissan
To highlight the changes that have resulted in the new Micra, Nissan Design Europe has created a unique version of the Micra C+C… only this time in stands for Colour + Concept rather than Coupe + Cabriolet.
"Micra C+C is one of the most distinctive cars on our roads, but our designers have turned it into a real head turner. Our concept for Frankfurt is not so much a new car as an experiment with colours, textures and finishes. It shows how dramatically a paint effect can transform a familiar shape."
Atsushi Maeda, Studio Chief Designer, Nissan Design Europe
At a glance
* Revised Micra C+C given colour treatment with:
* Liquid gold finish
* Unique two-tone effect
* Tinted lights
* Exclusive interior trim
* Subtle body modifications
* Panoramic C-View roof with tinted glass
Looking as if it has just come out of the spray booth, the radical Micra C+C to be shown at the Frankfurt Show is a mobile test bed for a number of new paint effects. The most extreme treatment is a new 'Liquid Metal' finish which, from certain angles, appears to be wet to the touch.
"Our concept for the Frankfurt Show is based on the Micra C+C, but this time it stands for Colour + Concept," says Atsushi Maeda, Studio Chief Designer at Nissan Design Europe in London.
The Micra C+C at Frankfurt has a dual role. As well as being a colour laboratory on wheels, the concept highlights the changes that have been made to the entire Micra range. As a result, colour treatment aside, the silhouette of the car is largely unaltered.
"We wanted to draw attention to those changes as well as have some fun with colour," says Maeda. "The new grille and headlamps have had a discreet colour treatment and we have accentuated some other features."
The biggest visual impact, however, is the paint effect. Micra Colour + Concept has been given a two-tone treatment with a Liquid Metal gold paint effect running over the top of the car and contrasting with the three coat pearlescent white finish on the car's flanks.
The gold finish has an intense depth that makes it appear liquid to the touch. The extreme metallic look is the result of a special-effect pigment added to the paint.
Liquid Metal paint stretches around the Micra's body like a metallic skin, emphasising the design contours more strongly than any other finish and making them even livelier through targeted light reflection.
The special-effect particles are thinner and flatter than particles in regular metallic paints, reflecting the light reflect more intensively and intensifying the gloss. The result is an extreme metallic look that cannot be achieved with conventional metallic finishes.
NDE designers have also given the windscreen and C-View glass roof a gold coloured coating to make it appear as if the entire top half of the car has been covered in the Liquid Metal paint.
Bodywork changes are modest but highly effective. Chromed sill extensions beneath the doors complement the treatment of the rear bumper, which has been accentuated with a chromed lower portion. The exhaust has been re-routed to exit through the lower bumper.
Skeletal door mirrors with integrated turn indicators and 3D effect dished alloy wheels both provide a macho touch.
Instead of conventional red or increasingly popular clear lenses, all the Micra's lights have a yellow-gold finish to blend convincingly with the overall white and gold colour scheme.
Inside the Colour + Concept theme continues with a high contrast between the upper and lower portions of the interior. Reupholstered in sumptuous white leather, the seats have accented detailing and stitching. Carpets and lower internal panels are a darker acid yellow to contrast with the pale upper portion of the dashboard.
"The contrasting colours emphasise the cheerfulness of the Micra C+C while the small changes we have made to the exterior accentuate its sporting side. And we are fascinated by the possibilities of the Liquid Metal paint finish," says Maeda.