Since stepping down as the head of Nissan design in 2017, Shiro Nakamura, the designer responsible for the R35-generation Nissan GT-R, as well as multiple other Nissan and Infiniti models, has been running his own design company SN Design Platform.
The Tokyo-based design company will use the 2024 Paris auto show starting today to present the THK LSR-05, a four-door electric vehicle built to showcase new technologies from THK, a Japanese firm specializing in components that rely on linear motion with rolling contact.
The LSR-05 was first shown as a concept at the 2023 Tokyo auto show, and in Paris a more advanced prototype version featuring several new technologies developed by THK is being shown. Among the technologies are a sliding seat that requires very little installation space, an active suspension system with magnetic dampers, a contactless charging system, and a brake-by-wire system.
The LSR-05 also features in-wheel electric motors developed by THK. There is one for each of the rear wheels, rated at 125 hp each, which work together with a conventional electric motor driving the front axle, rated at 295 hp.
THK LSR-05 prototype
The vehicle is described by SN Design Platform as a crossover with coupe-like proportions. It measures approximately 196 inches long, placing it in the midsize segment. However, thanks to clever packaging, helped by the lack of a transmission tunnel but also the new seats, means interior space is closer to that of a full-size vehicle. There’s so much legroom that the rear seats even have extendable leg rests.
Neither SN Design Platform nor THK have mentioned production for the LSR-05, but THR said it is working on a more advanced design to be called the LSR-07.
The LSR-05 isn’t the first EV presented by SN Design Platform. The company last year also presented the EV Sport 01, a similar concept built to showcase electric motors developed by Japanese technology company AIM.
