It may look like a car from Toon Town, but Nissan's serious about the Qazana crossover.

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Inspired by "a simple desire to have fun behind the wheel, Qazana shows that mind-numbing motoring could be a thing of the past", it debuts at the Geneva Motor Show.

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."

By mixing SUV and sports car styling cues, NDE's design team has created a highly individual Crossover. The tall stance, truncated rear styling and short front and rear overhangs are supposed to create a feeling of robustness and strength, but the low roof line, assertive side window graphic and broad shoulders suggest a sporting ability.

At the same time, rounded elements — notably the wheel arches and bonnet — provide a link with existing Nissan crossovers; 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."

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.

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.

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