If all electric cars looked like this we'd all want one: Nissan's prototype BladeGlider is transporting VIPs at the Olympics
Nissan's all-electric LEAF might be good for the environment and cost very little to run but it also looks more like a smirking toad than a cat you'd want to be seen in, DailyMail reports.
Called the BladeGlider, it was first unveiled as a concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2013. But now it's a fully working prototype, of which there are two, and they're being used at the Rio Olympic Games to shuttle VIPs.
Shaped like a dart, the pure electric three-seater narrows at the front to slice through the air for better aerodynamics but also to improve handling, the carmaker claims.
It's no slouch either. Powered by five-module 220kWh lithium-ion batteries, Nissan says it will set off from a standstill like a missile to reach 62mph in less than five seconds and has a top speed of 118mph - not too shabby from an electric vehicle.
Nissan's gone to great lengths to make sure the car is as slippery as possible, even going as far as taking off the wing mirrors. Instead there are two screens flanking the driver's central display with the images of rear-view cameras mounted just behind the front wheels.
Of the two functional prototypes being showcased at the Rio Games, one will be a static display car only. The other will be used to shuttle the media and VIPs taking breaks between the pole-vault and javelin.
'Nissan believes that enthusiasts should look forward to a zero emission future and BladeGlider is a perfect demonstration of that. It's the electric vehicle for car-lovers.'
So will they be putting it into production?
While Nissan hasn't made any comments about the BladeGlider being built for the masses, it would certainly fit the brand's future plans of driving an electric future.
The carmaker's comments about the vehicles being 'prototypes' also suggests this is no longer a concept, with Nissan claiming to have been working on the two functioning models for the last two years.
So while it might not be a reality just yet, don't write it off entirely. If it's a replacement for the LEAF - the car with a face only a mother could love - we'd certainly welcome it.