Nissan has shown some sketches of its newest concept car for the Tokyo motor show, the NV200. It looks like a minivan/MPV which was said to contain “unique features”. But its most outstanding feature is that it was built and designed for photographers. Underwater photographers.

The NV200 has a large “storage pod” that slides out of the rear of the vehicle when it is parked, revealing “small feet” which will maintain the vehicle’s stability on the ground. The vehicle has compartments for the dry and the wet area, which will provide storage for diving and the photographer’s equipment. It even contains a small refrigerator with a sink unit, run be solar panels mounted on the car’s roof.

Located in the center of the vehicle is where the “mobile office” can be found, complee with an integrated computer. The passenger seat even slides backward and swivels to serve as an office chair.

The interior trim choices are intriguing, with the extensive use of bright yellow plastics and a wood laminate floor. “The wood is designed to provide a feeling of warmth for the photographer when he returns from his dive,” says the concept’s senior color designer, Vanda Murray.

“We brainstormed all the likely users of a vehicle of this type and decided to focus on the underwater photographer because they’re in touch with nature, and their equipment has a high-tech but utilitarian appeal,” Martin Uhlarik, Nissan’s Senior Designer explains.

Although the NV200 is only a concept, it does offer a clue to the styling of Nissan’s next generation of light commercial vehicles. The company will launch a series of new models in the next of couple of years in a bid to increase its market share. Nissan’s corporate vice president for light commercials, Andy Palmer, claimed that Nissan will be “a global leader in the field by 2010”.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 at 2:43 am and is filed under nissan news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.