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Carsales Staff9 Nov 2011
NEWS

TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Nissan PIVO 3

New urban concept vehicle to drive town planning?

Nissan is bringing together three show cars in its home town of Tokyo to earmark the company's future direction in alternative-energy drivetrain systems.

The exotic looking ESFLOW and the organically-formed Townpod are not new to the motor show circuit, but they complement the appealing PIVO3. It lacks the svelte styling of the ESFLOW, because the PIVO 3 is an EV aimed more at those living the urban dream. The latest development in a line of PIVOs, the 3rd-gen vehicle can trace its heritage back to the PIVO 1 of 2005, Nissan says. But it's a pointer to the way communities may change in future. The PIVO 3 can park itself and its design is an integral part of functioning within proposed social infrastructure. Thanks to a wheel-in-motor drive system, a turning circle of 4m allows the PIVO 3 to execute a U-turn in the space allowed by even the narrowest of roads.

ESFLOW was presented at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year and is an electric vehicle under the skin. Boasting an electric motor for each of the rear wheels, the ESFLOW can reach 100km/h from a standing start in under five seconds and posts a range of up to 240km. According to the company's press material, the ESFLOW melds Nissan's sports car heritage with its recent work on the LEAF EV.

Another EV, the Townpod was unveiled in Paris last year. Much like a LEAF wrapped in a futuristic commercial vehicle body shell, the Townpod produces zero emissions and features split rear doors for the carriage of goods. By virtue of its utilitarian character — evoking the style of the petrol-engined Cube — Townpod provides an insight into how tool-of-trade vehicles may look in the near future.

Nissan will also reveal another view of the future with the NSH-2012 Smart House — a showcase for residential living in harmony with the environment — and a Smart Community, which is a village of collected Smart Houses. The House (and the community on which it's based) can draw power from solar panels, fuel cells and the battery power of a garaged EV. In the event of a power outage, the house can continue to supply power from the EV's batteries until mains power is restored.

Nissan plans to introduce a new commercial vehicle at the show too, but unlike the Townpod, the NV 350 will be a conventionally-powered machine. We're told by Nissan Australia that it's not on the agenda for the local market, although a vehicle in a similar vein, but on a smaller footprint — the NV 200 is under consideration for Australia.

Key to pictures: PIVO 3 (green and dash), ESFLOW coupe and NV 350 van

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