The conceptual Nissan Terra SUV is ULTRA modern. Instead of rounded wheel arches, it uses a square design. Instead of gasoline and electricity, it uses a hydrogen fuel cell to power its three electric motors. There are no driveshafts in the Terra; an electric motor controls the wheels up front, while in-wheel electric motors at the rear provide additional power and traction. And what has Nissan done without the need for a driveshaft and its fancy technology?

Made the car’s interior look like a place just as likely to get you to a ski mountain as it is a place to get a modern road pedicure:

That’s minimalism. That tablet right there in the middle, behind the wheel that mimics the steering wheel from the Cruisin’ USA and Cruisin’ World video games that used to be so popular? That tablet is detachable. Which means one of two things. Either you can use your own tablet to plug into a universal slot, or Nissan is planning to give away a Nissan-specific tablet for all your driving-statistic and entertainment needs.

And, hey, speaking of entertainment, have a gander at the Terra concept’s exterior:

Interesting, right? Nissan senior VP Shiro Nakamura says the Terra presents an image of modern toughness. A toughness that was supposedly inspired by the “lifestyle of youthful customers in Northern Europe.”

I say this was a toughness not inspired by the thrill-seeking youths of Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark, but by two very prominent and similar looking dog-like creatures that tortured citizens of New York City and The Capitol in two of Hollywood’s most celebrated films about man-eating dogs.

First, exhibit A, from Manhattan:

That’s the “Okay, who brought the dog” monster from the first Ghostbusters movie (a special thanks to Mr. Rick Moranis for playing that scene perfectly and to Bill Murray for being Bill Murray).

Now, exhibit B, from The Capitol:

That’s one of the muttations from The Hunger Games. (No special thanks here, because The Hunger Games crapped out when all the tributes jumped off their platforms when they were beamed up into the arena.)

There is a resemblance, no?

The Terra will make its first real-world appearance at the Paris Motor Show at the end of the month, and hopefully we’ll have more pictures to flesh out this theory.