The Nissan TeRRA SUV concept, to be unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show on Sep 27, combines two outstanding Nissan strengths – SUVs and EVs – in a vehicle that is equally in its element off-road in the wild or gliding silently through a sophisticated urban setting. With an innovative 4×4 fuel-cell electric powertrain and an athletic exterior that projects an unforgettable presence beyond its compact dimensions, TeRRA takes sustainable motoring into exciting new territory. Envisioned as the one and only Zero Emission SUV, TeRRA builds on Nissan’s success with urban-relevant SUVs and crossovers like Murano and Qashqai and asserts that its zero-emission expertise extends all the way to fuel cells.
Open the door and exterior toughness gives way to a surprisingly warm and welcoming interior. The door panel is a sculpted fusion of blond wood trim and colored acrylic, layered in an intriguing pattern. Ringing the cabin at shoulder height is a metal frame that gives TeRRA’s occupants a feeling of security. The wood/metal contrast continues across the dashboard, a beechwood-acrylic fusion that exudes a soft warmth. On the driver’s side, the steering and instrument console gently tapers out toward the driver, barely interrupting the clean lines of the dash.
Facing the driver is a unique instrument cluster. It’s an electronic tablet – just like today’s popular portable devices – that serves as an intelligent key. The driver docks it when entering the car and removes it when leaving. When docked in TeRRA, the tablet’s default view displays speed and other key performance indicators. But the driver can easily toggle to entertainment, communications, navigation and other views. Outside the car it provides all the functions we expect from a tablet, plus it stays continually in touch with the vehicle.The idea is seamless information and communication, on the road and everywhere else.
TeRRA’s seamlessly connected driver sits front and almost center in a unique diagonal layout that positions rear passengers over the shoulders of those in front, rather than directly behind.The seats themselves express a hexagonal motif that is carried through various aspects of the design. Fold the three passenger seats down and you notice that TeRRA’s cabin deck is completely flat, presenting no obstacles to carrying bikes, kayaks or assemble-yourself furniture from Scandinavia. This flat surface is a function of the remarkably compact powertrain package that creates the possibility of this zero-emission concept. NissAN TeRRA is purely a concept car, but it signals that Nissan is ready to mass-produce fuel cell electric vehicles whenever hydrogen becomes widely available.

