A Nissan Press Photo Might Show A Strange New Convertible Sports Coupe And Even If It Doesn’t I’m Going To Show It Anyway

I’ve been accused by many readers of having a rather distorted view of reality; some even claim that it seems drug-induced. Unless there’s something odd in the half-dozen or so Diet Cokes I consume each day, I can assure you that I am not “chemically enhanced.” It’s just that for some reason I just see things differently than most or imagine them in ways that never were. Sometimes they’re good visions, other times not so much.

Recently on Autopian Slack, someone presented an image from Nissan that, to me, appeared to show a rather bizarre vehicle in the background. I’m sure that it isn’t what I think it is, but it would be a lot cooler if it really was. Let’s see if you agree

Homey, My Mind Is Playing Tricks On Me

It’s hardly a secret that Nissan has been suffering recently; they’re facing some of their most challenging times in 25 years now, with crippling losses and a lack of competitive products in key areas like hybrid vehicles and EVs. Tasked with getting Nissan back on track here in the crucial US market is a twenty-year veteran who took on a lead role about three years ago:

Ponz Pandikuthira is senior vice president, chief product & planning officer for Nissan Americas. Appointed to this position in April 2023, Pandikuthira oversees the Product Planning, Vehicle Line Program Management Office (PMO), Vehicle Connected Services and Market Intelligence functions. Pandikuthira is responsible for leading these teams to deliver highly competitive products, technology and connected business services that will competitively position Nissan in a market that is rapidly being transformed by electrification, digitization, and sustainability.

Also, if he has a bunch of GenX friends, I would be shocked if they didn’t call him “The Ponz,” to which he responds with two thumbs up. A shame for a cool name to go to waste.

Anyway, a photograph of Pandikuthira was circulated by Nissan PR recently that appears to have been taken at an auto show:

He’s standing in front of a number of standard-fare Nissan production vehicles that you’ll see anywhere, but there’s one lurking in the back that caught my eye.

Sure, we can tell it’s a Nissan Kicks in yellow, a totally redesigned-for-2026 subcompact crossover SUV that’s been upgraded with a 2.0-liter four (but still a dreaded CVT automatic) and with a sort of playful-cyborg-bulldog face.

Starting at $22,730 and topping out below the magic $30k number, it offers decent bang for your entry-level buck, according to our own David Tracy:

Overall, I think the little Kicks is a totally competent and pleasant-to-drive small SUV, and especially if you can get a deal on one, an all-wheel drive model with CarPlay could offer lots of value to those who want an efficient vehicle that should be able to handle a few light trails.

However, there’s something very odd about the roof on this particular Kicks. I’m aware that auto shows have funky lighting that creates bizarre reflections; that’s likely what’s happening here, but I can’t help looking at it and wondering what lies behind Ponz’s shoulder. Doesn’t it seem like a white top and some kind of odd opera windows or even porthole? Here, I’ll clear the Nissan VP out of the way slightly to show you what my mind is filling in:

That’s very strange; almost like a pint-sized 2000s Ford Thunderbird or a modern-day Nash Metropolitan. Is that what Ponz is covering up? I seriously doubt it, but what if we suspend reality a bit and pretend that it is?

Dozens Of Satisfied Buyers

Not everything that makes sense on paper actually works. One of the best examples of that was from Nissan a few years back. You see, a convertible crossover is one of those things that seems like a sure-fire hit when you consider that soft-roaders are by far some of the most popular kinds of vehicles on the market today. Who doesn’t want a droptop? Well, if buyers aren’t interested in sedans or coupes, then wouldn’t that dictate taking a Sawzall to the roof of an SUV and counting the profits?

It would, but guess what? Nobody wanted it. Well, at least nobody wanted Nissan’s pioneering answer: the infamous Murano CrossCabriolet, which our blessed website proudly owns an example of (and the keys to which will likely need to be pried from our Mercedes Streeter’s cold, dead hands).

Expensive when new and rather odd-looking, the CrossCabriolet only sold around 6,000 from its brief 2011 to 2014 run.

A similar experiment with the Land Rover Evoque cabrio also didn’t set the world on fire, though it did come near the end of the first-generation’s model run when sales of that little SUV in general had cooled off significantly.

Actually, the Volkswagen take on the idea was based on a subcompact crossover of theirs with the rap-star-like name of T-Roc. It did relatively well for a convertible that was never sold in drop-top-friendly America, where most cabrios need to go to move in reasonable numbers. With sales of around 11,000 units a year, it was Europe’s second-best-selling convertible for a time. Still, the market across the pond is very different than America; the French thought Manimal was a great show, for Chrissake.

None of these examples are stunning proof positive that another drop-top crossover should exist. Regardless, the vision of a Kicks Cabrio has been implanted in my mind, and now I have no choice but to draw it up.

Pumped Up Kicks

For the Kicks Cabrio, I figured if we’re going to go silly, we might as well go all-out. How about a new name? Somehow, as a car with a trick up its sleeve, I think Trixx works, especially if the buyers are GenX empty nesters who ate Kix or Trix cereal as kids. Or still do.

As fun as a porthole window would be, I actually decided against it. I tried one as a joke, but it turns out the Trixx actually doesn’t look bad with a more traditional current Nissan quarter detail. The white roof terminates at a trim piece that trails back from the quarter window, creating a thin black band that’s actually a tiny horizontal “opera” window with a badge on it.

Here’s an animation of the standard Kicks to a Trixx:

We have to lower the retractable roof, don’t we?

Here’s a rear view

Of course, an animation:

With such a heavy C-pillar, you might wonder how the retractable hardtop can work, considering that most cars with that feature have roll-down glazing on the entire side of the roof to make the part that retracts as thin as possible.

The trick the Trixx uses is that the entire sail panel, including the quarter window, opera window, trim, and white-painted surface, rolls down into the quarter panel.

The rear seat area would be compromised slightly to accommodate these thicker roll-down panels, but you were never going to get three adults across in the back of a Trixx anyway. Silly rabbit, Trixx are for… well, you get it.

Mercedes Streeter Would Buy It In Twenty Years, Maybe

We’re pretty sure that something like the Trixx was NOT hiding behind Ponz at the auto show, but what if it was? Could such an odd product sell? My guess is absolutely not. However, I do think that Nissan could move more Trixx than they did CrossCabriolets.

If we look at the relative success of the VW T-Roc in Europe, I think a convertible crossover works a lot better as a “cute” small car. The Murano was too large and serious to convert to a droptop; the Kicks is already a slightly goofy but lovable little machine, so ditching the fixed roof only makes it more so. Better yet, Nissan would be starting with a far more affordable car. The retractable hardtop also adds a bit of four-season comfort that the CrossCabrio doesn’t have (and that top is about to peel itself off of “ours” if you ask Mercedes Streeter).

I’ll tell you one thing: if Pandikuthira wants to receive at least a little bit of the name recognition that earlier executive Carlos-in-a-Box received at Nissan, something like the Trixx will certainly get him noticed. Many people haven’t thought about Nissan in a long time, so I say anything as attention-getting as the Trixx would make The Ponz look as cool as Henry Winkler’s most famous character.

Top graphic images: Nissan