Car Preview : Nissan Rolls Out Watery NV200 Concept Van

Nissan lifted the veil on a futuristic van called NV200 on Monday that may take some of the stigma away from workhorse vehicles like minivans and delivery trucks. The NV200 will make its worldwide debut at the Tokyo auto show in October. The Japanese automaker scrupulously avoided any references to soccer moms or plumbers as it rolled out the NV200. Instead, it described the van as suitable for a "professional underwater photographer with 'wet' and 'dry' store zones" in a storage pod that extends from the van's load area. Nissan noted that the "basic concept could be tailored to suit different customers."

The van leapfrogs over conventional vans with the pod arrangement. Nissan explained that, as the pod is withdrawn from the van, the "area left behind is transformed into a mobile office." The front passenger seat swivels backwards on a curved rail to face a computer table, which drops down from the side of the van. Toyota has experimented with swiveling seats in the home market.

"A light commercial vehicle has a specific job to perform, but that's no reason to design a purely rational vehicle with no warmth," said Shiro Nakamura, Nissan senior vice president and chief creative officer. The NV200 is a global creation. It was jointly developed in Japan and at Nissan Design Europe in London.