September 29, 2008

NIssan too the opportunity of the Hanover motor show to exhibit their newest workhorse, the NV200.  Unfortunately for prospective buyers, who were taken with the demountable Pod system, the version that will be rolled out will not feature the pod.

Designer Ryoichi Kuraoka got his inspiration for the design of the van from an unusual source, Thunderbirds.  He commented: “It’s based on Thunderbird 2, the one with the pod.”  A fan of Thunderbirds, shown in Japanese TV in the 60s Kuraoka even had a Tracey Island model in his youth.

Cost restrictions rule out the pod part of the concept vehicle, which slides out on rails and is supported by fold-down legs.  The NV200 will go into production next year, when it replaces the Renault Kangoo-based Kubistar compact van in the Nissan range.  It will be launched in Japan in the spring before making it's way to Europe before the end of 2009.

The NV200 is a little more compact than their current Kubistar model, being based on the B platform (Clio/MIcra), rather than the C platform (Scenic/Kangoo).  This means that the NV200 will qualify for Japanese market tax breaks that the Kubistar was too big to claim.  Despite the size of the van it's got room to fit two Europallets.

The new naming of the van reflects a new branding philosophy for the Nissan LCV range, which was introduced with the NP300 pick-up (NP means Nissan Pick-up; NV Nissan Van, so no excuse for confusion!) 

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