2007 Nissan NV200 Concept

- Cargo-van-meets-rolling-office
- Extendable rear pod enlarges rear work area at will
- Not a new concept; similar setups have been seen before on a number of recent concepts
- Unique execution: Pod can be removed from van to sit on extendable legs when parked
- With pod withdrawn, area left behind can be transformed into mobile office and IT dock
- Environmentally friendly clean-diesel engine
- Designed with help from (and specifically for) world-renowned marine biologist and underwater photographer Dr. Alex Mustard (Just don't call him "Mister.")

Nissan says: "A commercial vehicle has a specific job to perform, but that's no reason to design a purely rational vehicle with no warmth. In NV200, function becomes the aesthetic. NV200 is a highly efficient tool but one with a human touch. Nissan prides itself on designing its cars to fulfill the needs and requirements of its customers. For NV200, we have taken that guiding principle quite literally and created a vehicle for one specific customer."

We say: The NV200's press release is filled with comments from Dr. Mustard on how the vehicle would suit his needs, but if you're not a marine biologist-slash-underwater photographer, don't despair. The NV2000 actually has a fair number of innovative features and tiny touches (the removable pod is just the tip of the iceberg), things like hidden tent storage, movable stow boxes, and a matching docked laptop. Solar panels on the roof and a generator power the computer, a shower, a refrigerator, and other attached electrical knicknacks. In other words, regular people can actually make some use of it. Like the Round Box, the NV2000 isn't a unique concept -- from Airstream to Ford, almost everyone has done the lab-on-wheels idea before -- but it's well executed, and could work in a large variety of situations and environments.
By Sam Smith