Nissan who? Electric what? Margot Robbie, YEAH.

Nissan has appointed Margot Robbie of Suicide Squad fame to become the ambassador for its electric vehicles. We want to believe that her cheeky daredevil persona that was Harley Quinn is not all an act, and we see a hint of it in this new video released by Nissan in which she is allowed behind the wheel of the Japanese automaker’s BladeGlider prototype. She almost outshines the car…yes, there was most probably a stunt driver, but we shall allow ourselves to be deceived.

The all-electric BladeGlider draws inspiration from the DeltaWing race car, but just very loosely. With the 2017 Formula 1 series revving up to start in a month's time and the Formula E in June, perhaps it is no coincidence that the video shows Margot racing the BladeGlider through the Monaco street circuit, including the famous Fairmont Hairpin, and finishing at the Casino Square. While we see only single drivers in the two electric race cars that appear in the video, the BladeGlider is a 3-seater and we’d give anything to join Margot's squad.

This working prototype first debuted as a concept car in the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, which is a show of Nissan’s commitment to zero-emission vehicles and new technologies. Since then, the engineers have been working on these demo models. Thrust comes from the rear wheels, each with a 130kW motor. All these are powered by a 220kW lithium-ion battery with customised cooling, which generates a total output of 268hp and 521lb-ft of torque. Of course all electric cars tend to be hefty due to the battery pack, and this one tips the scale at 1,300kg, but still manages a 0 to 60 time of less than 5 seconds.

A torque vectoring system prevents over-steering and helps the driver maintain control over the car’s handling. As shown in the video, there is a drift mode besides the agile and off modes. The pair of BladeGliders will make an appearance in two weeks’ time at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show (7-19 March).

We don’t know yet how else Margot will be featured in Nissan’s marketing campaign. The next-gen Nissan Leaf is due in 2018, so we’re guessing she’ll be featured quite prominently when the time comes. Looking forward to it…