L.A. Auto Show: Nissan Ellure concept is designed to appeal to women

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Nissan unveiled its concept Ellure on Wednesday. The four-door four-seater is a dedicated attempt to breathe new life into the dowdy sedan segment. It specifically targets professional women.

“Nissan starts with opportunites,” said Alfonso Albaisa, vice president of design for Nissan North America. “We look for segments that are saturated or overlooked and we found the sedan segment. Everyone says it’s dead. We found the expression of it is dead and we found that customers, professional women, in their late 20s and 30s, maybe are coming off of leases for crossovers and might come back to a sedan.”

In development for a year, the Ellure exterior is a sophisticated mixture of geometric and flowing lines. Playing on its Japanese heritage, the front grille is angular in shape to mimic a warrior’s vest. Its headlamps mirror the tapered theme. Some of the flowing design is to improve aerodynamics.

The Ellure powertrain is a hybrid (specifics aren’t being disclosed) to forward the battery advancements pioneered for Nissan’s plug-in electric Leaf.

The front interior is professional, while the back has more of a lounge feel. Its interior mood lighting automatically moves from professional white to night-out-on-the-town red. Nissan anticipates at least two models will incorporate the Ellure’s design features in the future.

-- Susan Carpenter