Nissan electrifies Manchester City with pulse-racing driving stunt

Nissan, with their Formula E racing driver Sebastien Buemi, lit up the midnight streets of Manchester with a specially modified Formula E race car in a dazzling driving stunt designed to demonstrate the thrill drivers feel behind the wheel of Nissan all-electric vehicles.

The film, called Electrify the City (watch it here), sees Buemi pilot his Formula E racer through Manchester on a rendezvous with Manchester City football club manager and Nissan Global Ambassador Pep Guardiola driving the all-new Nissan Ariya all-electric SUV. The drivers then journey together to Manchester City’s iconic Etihad Stadium.

Buemi’s car is covered with electroluminescent paint that, through special sensors in his gloves, reacts with stunning brightness and dancing patterns to his ever-increasing excitement and dynamic driving.

“The electricity that creates excitement in our bodies is the same energy that powers Nissan electric vehicles,” said Tommaso Volpe, Nissan global motorsports director. “The rush drivers feel from the instant acceleration torque of EVs is a powerful sensation, but also a very personal one. With this stunt we wanted to visually display in a new and exciting way those electrifying emotions. As part of our Feel Electric story-telling campaign we want drivers to discover for themselves the thrill of driving Nissan EVs. You can see in the film that Seb our Formula E driver very much enjoyed his dynamic drive around Manchester.”

“It was a lot of fun to be part of the Electrify the City stunt with my Formula E race car,” said Sebastien Buemi, Nissan Formula E driver. “When I race for Nissan around the world in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, I am of course experiencing very powerful emotions. However, away from the heat of the racing battle on the shoot I could focus more on how I was feeling as I drove on the city streets. To see my emotions and excitement light up the car was very cool.”

Nissan Brain to Performance

Another avant-garde feature of Nissan’s Feel Electric campaign is Nissan Brain to Performance.

The program uses advanced brain imaging and analysis to determine the anatomical specifics of high-performance, professional drivers. With the help of Nissan Formula E drivers, Sebastien Buemi and Maximilian Guenther, Brain to Performance aims to develop bespoke, optimized training to enhance brain functions and anatomy related to driving and racing.