Nissan Esflow references 370Z and GT-R

Not content at having staked its claim to being the world leader in clean-green EV technology, Nissan is now looking to bridge the gap between eco and exhilaration. 

The brand has long been known for its exciting sports and performance models, including the 200SX, GT-R and 370Z, but as it seeks to redefine itself in the rapidly revolving electric vehicle era it’s keen to also extend its performance heritage to EVs. 

The Nissan Esflow is the embodiment of sporty Nissan design, with its bulging front guards, dramatically sloped roofline, muscular haunches and classic coupe proportions. 

The dramatic shape references both the 370Z and the GT-R while claiming its own distinctive space. But it’s what’s under the bonnet, or rather what’s not under the bonnet that’s most remarkable about this powerful sports machine. 

The Esflow is a sports EV, with two high-performance electric motors independently controlling the power delivered to the left and right rear wheels. Its lithium-ion battery is mounted longitudinally to ensure optimal front to rear weight balance and it’s all encased in a composite body and an aluminium chassis to keep weight low. 

The Nissan-Leaf based rear drive two seater made its world debut at the Geneva motor show in March this year but its significance can now be only truly understood when seen alongside two other electric performance models at the Tokyo motor show, which opened its door’s to the world’s media yesterday (Wednesday). 

Alongside the Esflow on the Nissan stand at Tokyo are the Nissan Leaf Nismo RC, a zero-emission race car engineered using the Leaf’s power unit as a base, and the Leaf Nismo concept, a road-going sports version of the Leaf that points to a future performance version.

Collectively the cars show a clear strategy by Nissan to apply its performance heritage to the EV arena, which is great news for anyone who thought the advent of EVs meant the end of performance car. There’s also a luxury EV strategy in place with Nissan’s luxury arm Infiniti confirming it’s developing an Infiniti-badged electric sedan.