In a surprise move Nissan has pulled the covers off an all-new small panel van concept dubbed the NV200. Scheduled to make its public debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in October it has been jointly developed by the Nissan Design Centre in Japan and Nissan Design Europe, based in Paddington, West London.The most striking feature is a storage pod which slides out of the rear of the van's load area when it is stationary. As the pod is deployed the now-empty load bay is transformed into a mobile office; the front passenger seat is moved rearwards on a curved rail to face a computer table which drops down from the side of the van.
The NV200 answers the specific needs of an underwater photographer (don't ask) with 'wet' and 'dry' compartments in the pod — which can be accessed from both sides — for diving and camera equipment. The basic concept can, of course, be tailored to suit the needs of many professions.
Perhaps of more interest to UK operators, however, is the van itself. It is about the size of the old Nissan Vanette, but wider and front-engined, and will form the basis of the Kubistar replacement due to go on sale in 2009/2010. Nissan will not be selling a re-badged version of the next generation Renault Kangoo when it appears.
