Is this the world's youngest Enzo owner

Heard of Cody Leibel? Didn't think so, but this 23-year-old is possibly the world's youngest Ferrari Enzo owner.

Because if he's not the world's youngest Ferrari Enzo owner then he's surely the youngest person to own TWO of the 217mph supercars.

Now what the hell is going on? He also owns a Ferrari 550 Barchetta and, according to reports, has a Maserati MC12 on order.

This is a total of more than £2.1 million.

The owner of American record company C-Note was recently featured in a US magazine feature and we're absolutely dumfounded.

It's also been reported by super-posh website Luxist that Leibel's swish Beverly Hills pad is on the market for a cool $16.5 million (£10 million). The five bedroom house is in grounds of five acres and has an Infinity pool and room for 20 cars.
Could you save money on car insurance?

Now we can't help feeling jealous of Cody who has the cars, the house and probably a watch with a face the size of a birthday cake, but is he really happy? We suspect so.

Let's just hope he treats his Enzos carefully.

Just 399 of the Italian hypercars have ever been built and a number of them have come to an unhappy end with one spontaneously combusting a couple of weeks ago and another crashing at the recent Rally de Paris at Magny Cours.

Cody Leibel's Ferrari collection follows news of pop star Chris Brown, 20, being snapped with a Bugatti Veyron.

With the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo aged 23 and 24 respectively - having owned more flash cars than you can shake a stick we've got a lesson for you: try harder in PE and Music lessons.

Mazda celebrates the Miata's 20th birthday

Hard to believe, but the Mazda Miata is 20 years old. And Mazda didn't let the birthday pass without a party.

On July 17, parked in the inner courtyard of Mazda R&D in Irvine, Calif., were examples of every significant Miata and MX-5 Miata ever made. There were pristine first-, second- and third-generation cars as well as a number of racing Miatas and a couple of concept cars. The beautiful red Monoposto sat next to the gold, fixed-roof M Coupe, and that one was next to a 1995 M Speedster (the latter reminding us that there have been so many special- edition Miatas that the regular production cars should be worth more than the special editions when these things enter the collector-car market, though that may be unlikely given that most owners don't want to quit driving them).

Miata clubs from all over Southern California came, too, parking their Mazda roadsters in the lot outside R&D and setting up camp for a day of Mazda history. Mazda brought together the original Miata team for the occasion: product planner Bob Hall, designers Mark Jordan and Tom Matano, and engineer Norman Garrett, to name just a few. They all took the stage to relate how the iconic roadster came to be.

“We were sitting here, hired in the early '80s by Mazda to come up with ideas specifically for the U.S. market,” said Garrett. “It was easy to come up with four-door sedans and two-door cars. What we all missed [in those days] were sports cars.”

“The whole thing was predicated on a car that was fun to drive, enjoyable and no matter who you were, what you were doing, unless you'd been embalmed you'd get this grin,” said Hall. “And that was the whole idea. But with the reliability of a Japanese car.”

“All of us had grown up with the British cars,” said Garrett. “All of us had been racing them, running them around, and those companies died: MG died, British Leyland died, Alfa, Fiat disappeared, so we said, ‘There's a place to make a car like this.

“Rather than make a vacuous Stepford kind of car, it was important for us to make a car everyone would want to drive,” said Garrett.

Said Matano, “So, what if we come up with a car that we can drive every day, we can afford to buy and enjoy ourselves? It's kind of self indulgence.”

So a whole team thought it up, Jordan and Matano designed it and Japanese executives supported it.

“The guy you have to give credit to is Toshihiko Hirai, program manager for the car,” said Hall. “I had an idea, the designers had some styling, but if you didn't have Hirai to take that and make it into a car, you wouldn't have a car.”

Hirai's enthusiasm for the project was pivotal.

“At the end of the day, it would have been like a million other projects which we had and which never made it into production,” Hall said. “Every car company has them. Mazda has tons, Ford has tons, GM has tons, take your choice. They're all like that, projects that never see the light of day. Sometimes they're the best things to read and write about, but for whatever reason they didn't click. In this case, if it weren't for Hirai, there wouldn't be a car, nothing would have happened.”

“We had a lot of great players who all understood the concept,” said Jordan. “The concept was it was a perfectly balanced lightweight open roadster that was sexy, fun-to-drive and affordable. I think Bob Hall successfully communicated that concept to Japan.”

But it wasn't going to be a charity case.

“The idea came about, ‘Let's see if Mazda can make money doing it,' ” said Garrett.

That job fell to Hall, the Great Communicator.

“Just imagine this,” said Hall. “You've got the business case, you've got all the research you've done, and you go to management and you say, ‘We want to build this car, it's a lightweight sports car.' And they say, ‘What is the current market?' And you go, ‘Um, zero. There's no car like it.' Now you've got guys that are, ‘What's the current volume in the segment? How can we grow it? What's the percentage we can take?' Well, I said, there is zero, but we can expect to get 100 percent of the segment.”

“So [at that point] there was this entry-level sports-car possibility,” said Garrett. “In Mazda's case, because they didn't have a dedicated factory like GM did with its [Pontiac] Fiero, that one Fiero factory had to support 100,000 units a year or it got closed. At Mazda, they did flexible manufacturing. They'd have the truck, 626, 323 going down the line and they could stick in the MX-5 Miata and still make money. So Bob sent the fax over and said, ‘Can you make money on 40,000 units a year?' And they sent back, ‘Sure.' ”

The logic was that in 1980, MG and Triumph sold 40,000 units a year of a “horrible MGB and a basket case Spitfire,” Garrett recalled. So when those cars went out of production or were unavailable in the United States, those customers were left with nothing to buy.

“So it came down to, ‘Let's fill their needs,' ” said Garrett. “The beauty of it was there was no competitive product, so we didn't have to benchmark it against anything.”

All they had to do was build a couple of them to see whether it could all be put together.

“The original proof-of-concept car was built off of a GLC wagon and an RX-7,” said Hall.

That was the front half of a GLC and the rear of an RX-7. They took one of those first mules to Hope Ranch in Santa Barbara for a driving evaluation because they figured it wouldn't create much excitement in staid, conservative Hope Ranch.

“Immediately people began chasing us and yelling, ‘What kind of car is that?” Garrett remembered. “We had some Japanese executives with us and they heard that. It helped our cause.”

Work on the Miata proceeded. To make the production car affordable, the plan called for a GLC rear and an RX-7 front on the finished Miata. Yes, that would have meant a solid beam rear axle on the car.

“Then [a Japanese executive] came to us and said, ‘We have found some money; we can do a multilink,” Hall recalled. So that's what they did.

“The Ferrari Daytona was the bellwether [for suspension],” Garrett recalled. “It had double wishbones all around.”

The car eventually came together, came to market and the crowd went wild. So far, the total stands at 860,000 sold in a little more than 20 years, with a fourth generation in the works. The car is raced more than any other nameplate in America, with 2,500 spec Miatas on tracks across the States, including spec Miata, showroom stock-C Miata, showrooom stock-B Miata, improved touring, E production, F production and performance touring E, according to Robert Davis, Mazda senior vice president of product development and research.

The car's enduring appeal is simple, said Hall.

“You don't have to have somebody explain it to you. When you have that, a car will last a long time.”

BMW Vision EfficienctDynamics Concept

BMW Vision EfficienctDynamics Concept

Strong corporations always look to the future, and BMW is no different. Under the presumption that the company's entry into electric vehicles will be successful, BMW designers are already brainstorming ideas for new EVs.

BMW is planning a 2013 market release for the BMW Megacity EV, and company executive Ian Robertson says this is just the beginning. A full line of EV cars could be grouped together under one umbrella, including a sports car inspired by the Vision ED concept seen last year in Frankfurt.

"We’re in the final stages of picking a name, but we want it to become a strong sub-brand like we have with M," he told Autocar.

Still, first thing's first: get the Megacity finished and out the door. To keep the vehicle's weight down, it will feature a significant amount of carbon fiber. This should increase the vehicle's range, while improving certain performance figures.

The latter could be most important to BMW fans, and the company does not want to sabotage this important aspect of their brand. "[The Megacity] would still be a BMW to drive."

AC Schnitzer Tries to Sport Up the New BMW 5-Series

The new BMW 5-Series GT a.k.a. the Gran Turismo hasn't received the most flattering reviews for its looks from the press and bimmer fans alike, but famed German tuner AC Schnizter is attempting to change all that with the release of a new sport package that contains both cosmetic and mechanical goodies for the Bavarian automaker's luxury crossover.

The styling kit bundles a new front apron, bonnet air vents, side skirts, tail light trim, a rear apron with an integrated diffuser, chrome tail pipes and a wraparound boot lid spoiler plus a variety of alloy wheels in sizes from 19- to 22-inches.

Inside, AC Schnitzer offerings are limited to a unique aluminum cover for the i-Drive controller, special floor mats and an aluminum foot res and pedal set.

For the time being, the only available performance kit is for the 530d and its 3.0-liter straight-six turbo diesel unit that gets bumped from 245HP to 286 horsepower. The tuner's package for the diesel model is complemented by a new engine cover and a sports spring kit.

Nissan Qazana is so bizarre it almost looks French

We're just back from checking out the Nissan Qazana, and we're happy to report that it's every bit as zany as it looks in the stock images we saw seen earlier. In fact, it almost looks Gallic, like something from Citroen or Peugeot, or perhaps something reverse-engineered from a Paris-Dakar rally special. We're not entirely sure if (and/or how) the big-fendered, narrow-greenhouse look will translate to Nissan's planned production compact crossover, and we're quite sure that the rear-hinged suicide doors won't see showrooms when the Qashqai receives a kid brother. For now, we're enjoying its novel lighting (including the pair of crazy large front driving lamps and the fender-ridge daytime-running lamps, along with well-integrated boomerang taillamps) and red-velvet cake interior.

NISSAN REVEALS STUNNING DESIGN CONCEPT FOR NEXT SUNDERLAND-BUILT MODEL

* World debut of Qazana concept car
o Hints at the design direction of Nissan's new small Crossover
o Manufacturing planned for 2010 at Nissan's Sunderland factory
* European debut of new 370Z
* European debut of new Cube

Nissan will have a host of new cars for Europe on display at the 79th Geneva International Motor Show.

Qazana Show Car
The star of the Nissan stand will be Qazana, a show car providing a good indication of the, as yet unnamed, compact car that will be produced at the Nissan Sunderland plant from 2010, safeguarding around 1,100 jobs.

Best described as a small Crossover, Qazana has been conceived to challenge conventional wisdom about what buyers of small five-door cars should expect.

The striking design is dominated by large, wide wheel arches and a lower shape which gives a feeling of strength, while the upper body is dynamic, assertive and sporty. Qazana is a five-door, with the rear doors opening forwards once the front doors have been opened, in the style of 'suicide doors'.

Qazana will reinforce Nissan's position as a pioneer of Crossovers, building on the success of Qashqai and the recently introduced Qashqai+2.

Trial builds of the production car will begin in early 2010 before its introduction on the Micra/Note line. There it will take up manufacturing capacity created when production of the current version of Micra ends later that same year.

The new model has been designed and developed in the UK and represents around £57m of investment. Its arrival takes the total investment by Nissan in the Sunderland plant to around £2.5b since 1984.

Trevor Mann, Nissan Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe, commented: 'The difficulties currently facing the car industry have been widely documented, and Nissan has not been immune.As a result we have had to make some difficult decisions, but the reason we have done so is to secure a long and positive future for the plant. Qazana points the way to that future and gives an indication of the unique and exciting car we will be producing in Sunderland next year.'

Other models being on display at the show
370Z
Being shown for the first time in Europe, Nissan's all new Z-car picks up where the popular 350Z left off. Using an enlarged version of the VQ V6 engine, now producing 331PS, and driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, which is available with the world's first synchronised down/up shift rev control system, or an all-new paddle-operated seven-speed automatic.

Cube
Already an icon in its home market of Japan, the all new Cube will be introduced for the first time in Europe in November, where its unique, friendly design will appeal to European car-buyers who are looking for something genuinely new and different.

Its large, open and airy interior will win the hearts of city-dwellers who are not traditional car 'fans', but who will find Cube appealing as it is an extension of their personality – creative, fun and distinctive. In Europe, the Cube will come with both a 106PS DPF-equipped 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.6-litre petrol, producing 111PS.

The Nissan press conference will be hosted by Carlos Tavares, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd at 17:00 on Tuesday 3rd March.

Nissan Qazana crossover

The five-door Nissan Qazana crossover concept is supposedly a study of what a small crossover of the future would look like. Instead, it sorta looks like a Murano that ate a pufferfish and a Jeep.

Nissan Qazana - Pufferfish Murano

NISSAN CROSSOVER DESIGN CONCEPT DEBUTS AT GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

At a glance

* Crossover concept reinvents small five-door
* Inspired by motorbikes and beach buggies
* Compact design – sporty, yet rugged
* Designed in Europe

The Nissan Qazana makes its first ever appearance at the Geneva Motor Show today. Inspired by a simple desire to have fun behind the wheel, Qazana shows that mind-numbing motoring could be a thing of the past.

Officially it's a showcar, a study into how a small car of the future could look. But with the announcement that a small crossover – a baby brother to Qashqai – will be built at the company's Sunderland factory in the UK, Qazana's significance should not be underestimated.

"The Qazana concept is an intelligent, all-wheel drive crossover which is masculine, agile, lean, and designed for the tough city streets. Our team at Nissan Design Europe in London realised this image with the motif of a modern day beach buggy and four-seat motor-bike," explains Atsushi Maeda, Studio Chief Designer, Nissan Design Europe.

According to Matt Weaver, project lead designer at NDE, Qazana was designed to be sophisticated but fun. "It's a hugely optimistic car, which is no bad thing in these difficult times. Had it been created in the 1960s, it would have counted camper vans, bikes and buggies as its rivals. Infused with that same spirit, there's nothing quite like it available today."

Challenges tradition
In the same way that Nissan re-wrote the rule-book when it introduced Qashqai two years ago, so Qazana is ready to do it again. By approaching the small car market from a totally different direction, Qazana invigorates, stimulates and rejuvenates the traditional town runabout.

Compact dimensions
Compact overall dimensions (4060mm in length, 1570mm tall, 1780 wide and a wheelbase of 2530mm) mean Qazana would be ideally suited to the urban environment. Yet its advanced specification and energetic styling suggest an ability that goes far beyond the city walls.

By mixing SUV and sports car styling cues, NDE's design team has created a highly individual Crossover quite unlike anything else on the road. The tall stance, truncated rear styling and short front and rear overhangs underscore its feeling of robustness and strength, but the low roof line, assertive side window graphic and broad shoulders hint at a sporting ability absent in traditional all-wheel drives.

At the same time, rounded elements – notably the wheel arches and bonnet – evoke a friendly ambiance and provide a link with existing Nissan Crossovers. Indeed, Qazana has the signature Crossover design detail in the rising window line at the rear, also found on Murano and Qashqai.

Says Weaver: "Qazana follows in Qashqai's wheel tracks by challenging convention. Externally Qazana adds a number of existing Nissan design cues – including a variation on the 'boomerang' rear light theme from 370Z – to a highly distinctive shape that's unlike anything else in the company's current design portfolio."

Crossover styling
The profile is dominated by the prominent wheel arches and by the body's high waistline, which combine to give an impression of strength and which contrast vividly with the slim side windows. Echoing a style first seen on Mixim, Nissan's high performance electric coupé concept shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Show, the glasshouse resembles a crash helmet visor.

Although it appears at first glance to be a two-door coupé, Qazana has a further pair of rear-hinged half doors to ease access to the rear compartment. All the doors are electrically operated and for safety reasons the rear pair can only be activated once the fronts have been opened. With no conventional B-pillar, access to the interior couldn't be easier.

One notable feature of the roof-line is the virtually straight cant rail above the doors which adds further to the strength of the profile. The roof itself has a pair of thin glass inserts running the full length of the roof which allow slithers of natural light into the cabin.

This contrast between sporty performance and all-terrain potential is underlined by the venturi-style skid plate at the rear of the vehicle, Qazana's extended ground clearance and the soft rubber spats which edge the wheel arches and help to disguise the vehicle's long suspension travel. The graphite coloured spats contrast vividly with the bold exterior colour, a unique shade called White Titanium, and the strikingly styled
20 inch black chrome alloy wheels.

Distinctive frontal aspect
The car's face is dominated by four headlamps. Two lower circular lamps set within the bumper contrast with a pair of daylight running strips mounted high on the wings on either side of the bonnet: the look is of a rally car preparing for a night stage.

While the full width grille, dominated by Nissan's centrally mounted badge, is an interpretation of current Nissan styling, its construction is not. A one-piece acrylic moulding, no cooling air can pass through the grille. Instead, the lower portion of the bumper, finished in a contrasting graphite colour, is dominated by a number of large holes for air to reach the radiator. See-through acrylic mouldings are also used for the door mirrors.

The interior has been designed as an extension of the exterior thanks to a clever interplay between hard and soft materials. Rather than being completely enveloped in leather for example, elements of the lightweight carbon fibre seat structure are on permanent view, appearing to have 'broken through' the covering. The centre portion of the backrests features a mesh material, allowing fresh air to circulate around the occupants.

Like the seats, the metal sections of the centre console seem to have forced their way through the leather covering while the internal door-frame is part exposed so that the door pull appears to be hewn from solid metal.

Motorcycle inspired interior
Adding further to the mechanical feel of the interior, the shape of the centre console and armrest has been inspired by the fuel tank and seat of a sports motocycle. Paul Ray, senior interior designer at NDE, is a keen rider. "I enjoy the sensation of being at one with my bike and wanted to capture that feeling in Qazana," he says.

"The way the structure appears through the fabric of the interior also reflects motorcycle design and construction."

Accentuating the practical side of the car, Qazana has 'floating' seats centrally mounted over a one-piece rubberised floor covering, creating an openness in the cockpit. Grooves cut in the flooring are replicated on the seats themselves.

The dashboard is dominated by a centrally mounted screen. As well as doubling as a navigation display, it will deliver vital information relating to Nissan's next generation fully electronic ALL MODE four-wheel drive with torque vectoring system and other advanced technical processes found on board, including integrated communications systems. Using an intuitive touch-screen interface, the driver will be able to adjust the air-conditioning and other key vehicle settings.

Alfonso Albaisa, Vice President, Nissan Design Europe, says: "When it comes to design, Nissan has developed a reputation for constantly delivering something different. The global success of Qashqai has proven that the car buying public is fed up with the conventional... but we are not prepared to sit on our laurels. Qazana might seem a radical solution but important elements of the concept do point to a future Nissan production vehicle.

Nissan Qazana Concept

The Nissan Qazana Concept made its first ever appearance at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Inspired by a simple desire to have fun behind the wheel, Nissan Qazana Concept shows that mind-numbing motoring could be a thing of the past.

Officially it's a showcar, a study into how a small car of the future could look. But with the announcement that a small crossover - a baby brother to Nissan Qashqai - will be built at the company's Sunderland factory in the UK, Nissan Qazana Concept's significance should not be underestimated.

"The Nissan Qazana Concept is an intelligent, all-wheel drive crossover which is masculine, agile, lean, and designed for the tough city streets. Our team at Nissan Design Europe in London realised this image with the motif of a modern day beach buggy and four-seat motor-bike," explains Atsushi Maeda, Studio Chief Designer, Nissan Design Europe.

According to Matt Weaver, project lead designer at NDE, Nissan Qazana Concept was designed to be sophisticated but fun. "It's a hugely optimistic car, which is no bad thing in these difficult times. Had it been created in the 1960s, it would have counted camper vans, bikes and buggies as its rivals. Infused with that same spirit, there's nothing quite like it available today."

Challenges tradition

In the same way that Nissan re-wrote the rule-book when it introduced Qashqai two years ago, so Nissan Qazana Concept is ready to do it again. By approaching the small car market from a totally different direction, Qazana invigorates, stimulates and rejuvenates the traditional town runabout.

Compact overall dimensions (4060mm in length, 1570mm tall, 1780 wide and a wheelbase of 2530mm) mean Nissan Qazana Concept would be ideally suited to the urban environment. Yet its advanced specification and energetic styling suggest an ability that goes far beyond the city walls.

By mixing SUV and sports car styling cues, NDE's design team has created a highly individual Crossover quite unlike anything else on the road. The tall stance, truncated rear styling and short front and rear overhangs underscore its feeling of robustness and strength, but the low roof line, assertive side window graphic and broad shoulders hint at a sporting ability absent in traditional all-wheel drives.

At the same time, rounded elements - notably the wheel arches and bonnet - evoke a friendly ambiance and provide a link with existing Nissan Crossovers. Indeed, Qazana has the signature Crossover design detail in the rising window line at the rear, also found on Murano and Qashqai.

Says Weaver: "Qazana follows in Qashqai's wheel tracks by challenging convention. Externally Nissan Qazana Concept adds a number of existing Nissan design cues - including a variation on the 'boomerang' rear light theme from Nissan 370Z - to a highly distinctive shape that's unlike anything else in the company's current design portfolio."

Crossover styling

The profile is dominated by the prominent wheel arches and by the body's high waistline, which combine to give an impression of strength and which contrast vividly with the slim side windows. Echoing a style first seen on Mixim, Nissan's high performance electric coupé concept shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Show, the glasshouse resembles a crash helmet visor.

Although it appears at first glance to be a two-door coupé, Nissan Qazana Concept has a further pair of rear-hinged half doors to ease access to the rear compartment. All the doors are electrically operated and for safety reasons the rear pair can only be activated once the fronts have been opened. With no conventional B-pillar, access to the interior couldn't be easier.

One notable feature of the roof-line is the virtually straight cant rail above the doors which adds further to the strength of the profile. The roof itself has a pair of thin glass inserts running the full length of the roof which allow slithers of natural light into the cabin.

This contrast between sporty performance and all-terrain potential is underlined by the venturi-style skid plate at the rear of the vehicle, Qazana's extended ground clearance and the soft rubber spats which edge the wheel arches and help to disguise the vehicle's long suspension travel. The graphite coloured spats contrast vividly with the bold exterior colour, a unique shade called White Titanium, and the strikingly styled 20 inch black chrome alloy wheels.

Distinctive frontal aspect

The car's face is dominated by four headlamps. Two lower circular lamps set within the bumper contrast with a pair of daylight running strips mounted high on the wings on either side of the bonnet: the look is of a rally car preparing for a night stage.

While the full width grille, dominated by Nissan's centrally mounted badge, is an interpretation of current Nissan styling, its construction is not. A one-piece acrylic moulding, no cooling air can pass through the grille. Instead, the lower portion of the bumper, finished in a contrasting graphite colour, is dominated by a number of large holes for air to reach the radiator. See-through acrylic mouldings are also used for the door mirrors.

The interior has been designed as an extension of the exterior thanks to a clever interplay between hard and soft materials. Rather than being completely enveloped in leather for example, elements of the lightweight carbon fibre seat structure are on permanent view, appearing to have 'broken through' the covering. The centre portion of the backrests features a mesh material, allowing fresh air to circulate around the occupants.

Like the seats, the metal sections of the centre console seem to have forced their way through the leather covering while the internal door-frame is part exposed so that the door pull appears to be hewn from solid metal.

Motorcycle inspired interior

Adding further to the mechanical feel of the interior, the shape of the centre console and armrest has been inspired by the fuel tank and seat of a sports motocycle. Paul Ray, senior interior designer at NDE, is a keen rider. "I enjoy the sensation of being at one with my bike and wanted to capture that feeling in Qazana," he says.

"The way the structure appears through the fabric of the interior also reflects motorcycle design and construction."

Accentuating the practical side of the car, Nissan Qazana Concept has 'floating' seats centrally mounted over a one-piece rubberised floor covering, creating an openness in the cockpit. Grooves cut in the flooring are replicated on the seats themselves.

The dashboard is dominated by a centrally mounted screen. As well as doubling as a navigation display, it will deliver vital information relating to Nissan's next generation fully electronic ALL MODE four-wheel drive with torque vectoring system and other advanced technical processes found on board, including integrated communications systems. Using an intuitive touch-screen interface, the driver will be able to adjust the air-conditioning and other key vehicle settings.

Alfonso Albaisa, Vice President, Nissan Design Europe, says: "When it comes to design, Nissan has developed a reputation for constantly delivering something different. The global success of Qashqai has proven that the car buying public is fed up with the conventional… but we are not prepared to sit on our laurels. Nissan Qazana Concept might seem a radical solution but important elements of the concept do point to a future Nissan production vehicle.

First Nissan Qazana prototype caught testing

Just when you thought Qashqai was about a weird a name as a car could get comes some spy shots of the Nissan Qazana. Mmmm... yeah, you're right. Qashqai is still weirder. However, the Qazana, which we first saw in Geneva, is weirder looking than the Qashqai. Or practically anything else, for that matter. But it's not bad-weird, just weird-weird. That said, sticking with the maxim that all SUVs (and cars that look like SUVs) want to either be WW2 Jeeps or lunar rovers, the Qazana isn't that odd. We quite like it.

The lads at AutoExpress just caught some spy shots of a Qazana prototype, complete with black trash-bag crypsis. Despite the budget camo, it does look like some of the show car's more novel elements are making it into production -- specifically, its large headlights. It even seems as though the highly-stylized grille will see the light of day.

AutoExpress claims that it doesn't stop there: The motorcycle-inspired (and highly whacked-out) interior will also allegedly make the final cut. In terms of where it fits in the lineup, the Qazana will slot below the larger Qashqai. Like the Qashqai, look for the Qazana to be built at Nissan's Sunderland, UK plant. Here's hoping Nissan chooses the bold path and brings out a Qazana that truly resembles the concept. Odds of it making to the US? We'd normally say "zilch," but we did just get the Cube, so who knows?

Nissan Qazana

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Nissan Qazana

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