| Nissan Gobi | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Designer | Bruce Campbell (1990)[1] |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compactpickup truck (concept) |
| Body style |
|
| Layout | FR layout /F4 layout? |
| Related | Nissan Hardbody |
TheNissan Gobi was aconceptpickup truck designed at Nissan Design International by Bruce Campbell under the leadership ofJerry Hirshberg. It was introduced at the1990 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Bruce Campbell[2] and Diane Allen[3] are separately credited with designing the Gobi concept.
The cab of the Gobi concept was influenced by helicopter design and was laid out asymmetrically with driver-oriented controls.[4] The concept was a styling exercise that was built on a shortenedNissan Hardbody pickup truck platform and could reach showrooms in 18 months, if approved. Hirshberg called it "an economical entry-level vehicle with the excitement of a sports car" although a Nissan spokesman noted it was engendering an enthusiastic reception among "women and young professional people [...] not as much by entry-level buyers."[5]
Storage bins on the Gobi concept were whimsically labeled for "stuff and things" and "odds and ends".[6] The glovebox is removable and can be worn as a backpack when detached, and the sides of the bed fold down to facilitate movement of cargo.[4]
The last showing of the car was in April 1990 at theNew York Auto Show.[5] Plans to produce the Gobi were shelved in August 1990 as "production costs would exceed what the consumers would pay."[7] As of 2014[update] the Gobi concept was stored in the basement of theLane Motor Museum inNashville, Tennessee, near Nissan North America headquarters.[8]
Gobi is on the show's lower level with the rest of the trucks (and the Batmobile), and it is world-class cute. Its originator, Jerry Hirshberg, is vice president of Nissan Design International, the Japanese manufacturer's American studio in San Diego, and he was stuck in traffic when he came up with the idea for a truck that looks like a bubble-bodied helicopter.
