Hatchbacks. Not exactly a premium image, yet they seem to be making a comeback this year: both this BMW 5 Series GT and the forthcoming Porsche Panamera will introduce the hatchback idea as the latest format for luxury car buyers. We remain doubtful as to whether it works: several designers we spoke to felt the Ford S-Max or the new Toyota Venza cover this crossover area more convincingly than does this design, which seems to lack the dynamic ingredients so necessary in a BMW.

In many ways the interior is more successful. Talking to designer Oliver Helmer, he explained his idea of a basic flow of forms from front to rear, best seen in the way the front door armrest twists as it runs through the B-pillar, taking on a concave form and terminating in the C-pillar trim. This trim wraps behind the individual rear seat and forms a second folding panel to seal the interior from the trunk, accessed by a dual-mode trunk/hatchback similar to that of the Skoda Superb Twindoor. The high contrast tan and cream leather environment is punctuated with milled lime wood inserts with thin aluminum accents embedded within the veneer. The seats feature a new flat woven fabric made from horse tail, although it's a slightly odd choice of seat material with a very hard touch that reminded us of a pair of golfer slacks for a Palm Springs retiree.

As a showcar idea it's intriguing: a mix of 7 Series platform, X6 upper cabin profile and concept CS styling cues combine to make an interesting statement, yet the idea that this might make a compelling new market niche for a production model is far less convincing. Mercedes tried this with the R-Class remember, with disastrous results: it's a sad fact that rich people with families distance themselves from the hatchback format in any way they can and we fear the production version could well miss the mark for a successful new BMW.

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Nissan's Qazana concept is a design study that showcases ideas for a future small crossover from the Japanese firm. Developed from an initial sketch by Matt Weaver under the direction of Alfonso Albaisa at NDE, Weaver also followed the concept as project manager during the seven month build process.

Designed to be a more youthful, urban version of the successful Qashqai crossover, the Qazana features interesting design that blends elements of a sports car and an SUV. "It's a car contrast," Weaver told CDN, "We're trying to mix sporting dynamics with the look of a buggy." He did however concede that the design is polarizing.

The front aspect of the car is the most imposing, with large headlamps in recesses and framed with LED rings at the edge of the grille, an element reminiscent of a Rally car. Mounted above the fenders either side of the hood are smaller lamps that serve as the eyes of the car. The front and rear skidplates for example are a plastic element that contrasts with the hue of the car, an element repeated in the smoothed out wheelarches that wrap under the wheel well and into the soft bodysides. The slim DLO and transparent door mirrors are accented by a sloping roofline that extends rearward to the boomerang taillamps, derived from those first seen on the US-spec Nissan Maxima and again on the 370Z unveiled in LA.

Access to the minimalist interior, by senior designer Paul Ray, is gained via two conventional doors at the front and two smaller suicide-style rear doors. There is no B-pillar. Once inside, the sporting theme is also readily apparent: door panels with exposed metal lend a mechanical feel and the center console has been inspired by the fuel tank of a motorcycle, alluding to outdoor activities. Hard and soft materials interact with one another - such as the mesh material that covers the carbon fiber seat structure and the rubber covered floor that can be easily cleaned.

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Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand, the dramatic two-door two-seat Essence concept features classic GT proportions blended with existing Infiniti design elements, pointing to the company's future design direction.

The fruit of a global individual competition, the design was initially penned by designer Aroba Giovanni while at NDA in San Diego California, who has since moved to work at Nissan Design in Tokyo where the concept was refined and developed. Speaking to CDN, product chief designer Mamoru Aoki told us how the concept was inspired by big waves and Japanese brush strokes. "The idea comes from the power of nature," Aoki said, calling the design theme of the complex surfacing "comfortable complexity."

Powerful front fenders lead into the strong, slightly curved body side, which features a pronounced beltline ledge that contours the DLO. When seen in profile, this horizontal element and deep concave undercut bridges the voluptuous surfacing of the body side, emphasizing the front fenders and pronounced rear haunch. The chrome C-pillar element, which Aoki says will see production in a future model, is particularly interesting as it creates a concave surface aft of the C-pillar that dissipates into the rear deck. In the trunk is a bespoke luggage set created by Louis Vuitton, which extends out of the vehicle on a parcel shelf when the trunk is opened.

The two-tone interior, created by two designers at Nissan's Japanese studio and a designer at NDE in London, is divided into two very distinct parts: a dark-grey driver-oriented cockpit and the burgundy-colored passenger area. Utlizing materials such as Alcantara, traditional leather and horse leather (which gives a technical look to the IP area surrounding the gauge cluster and the center console), the exterior design theme has also been filtered into the cabin. The chrome window switches, HVAC, and audio controls on the center console also communicate the minimalist design approach.

With its expressive and avant-garde design, the concept certainly pushes the design envelope, yet still manages to be refined and elegant. And its complex convex and concave surfacing, though polarizing, has already been widely accepted by BMW buyers.