Max-out delivers 'a liberating sense of openness' with a look that George Jetson would appreciate
By Matt Bird / Thursday, 2 February 2023 / Loading comments
There hasn’t been much from Nissan of late to get excited by. Oh sure, the Z is cool, but not coming here. And for a company that could be considered an EV pioneer – think how long the Leaf has been around – its apparent unwillingness to create anything more interesting than an Ariya is disappointing. But this is much more like it. This is the Nissan Max-Out.
It’s going to be shown at the Nissan Futures expo, which will be held in Yokohama from this Saturday until March 1st. The event has been designed to show off what Nissan is doing with electrification; more than just cars, it will cover power management, battery reuse, all the worthy stuff. But alongside it will be the first Nissan convertible we’ve seen in yonks. And in a rather unconventional way, it’s kinda cool.
Nissan is of course no stranger to odd drop tops, from Murano to Micra. For the Max-Out, it’s promising an ‘enhanced, dynamic driving experience’, which the proportions maybe wouldn’t lead you to believe. But then the EV is turning expectations on its head, so who knows?
Nissan says it’s been created ‘on the fundamental concept of being one with the car’, which will probably sound a little bit too ‘Jinba Ittai’ for Mazda’s liking, but if it creates another fun and light roadster for the electric age then you won’t hear us complaining.
The Max-Out was first shown virtually in November 2021, so the fact a physical concept now exists is encouraging. Nissan hasn’t revealed any powertrain details of the car yet – precious few details at all, really – instead merely suggesting that this car reflects its innovation and its desire to ‘develop a diverse range of advanced and striking vehicles’. A laudable aim, no doubt, and this certainly seems both striking and advanced, but the world of electric cars moves so fast that that development really needs to be soon.
The Nissan Futures event will be free to attend both virtually on YouTube and in person, with expert presentations and discussions over the next few weeks. Perhaps they can chat about how to get a car like this into production; with its distinctive looks (including a bit of 300ZX in that rear end) and four-seat cabrio cool, the Max-Out could be just the shot in the arm that Nissan’s EV image needs.
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