2020 Nissan Sylphy gives us a look of the new Sentra

The new

Nissan

Sylphy has debuted at the

Shanghai Motor Show

. While the Sylphy name might not mean much to North American Nissan customers, it is highly likely the car will also serve as the new 2020

Nissan Sentra

.

The latest iteration updates the Sylphy/

Sentra

to the current Nissan design language, complete with the C-pillar cut to achieve an illusion of a “floating” roof. The V-shaped, black-framed grille echoes the front end of the Leaf, for instance. Nissan says the

new car’s

drag coefficient is 0.26, interestingly on par with the

GT-R

; the stance is now wider and the wheelbase longer, and it appears that the model takes a step away from the

Versa’s

likeness towards the bigger

Altima

. Inside, there is a sporty-looking, driver-centric dash that is a clear improvement from the current car’s cockpit, especially enhanced by the caramel-colored leatherette. The seats have a neat quilted pattern on them.

Nissan program design director Shinichiro Irie, from the Nissan Global Design Center, described the car: “We designed the new Sylphy to communicate the ideas of ‘vigor and confidence’ and ‘lean and dynamic’. We expressed these through larger-diameter tires and a low center of gravity, along with a wide, firm stance.”

The current, B17 generation Sentra has been with us since the 2013 model year, and it too bears the Sylphy name in other markets. The powerplants for the new car include at least the HR16DE four-cylinder engine, in its third generation form. As for safety tech, the Chinese version features forward collision warning, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, cross traffic alert and Intelligent Driving Alert designed to anticipate hazardous situations, according to Nissan.

There are also some interesting mobility technologies announced for the Sylphy, including an Integrated dynamic control module that uses the brakes to automatically stabilize the vehicle after a bump on the road, and there is also an automatic emergency brake in case of a driver misusing the pedals — to combat unintended acceleration, for example.