2010 Nissan NV2500 Concept Is Commercial Vehicle "Idea Lab"

FARMINGTON HILLS, Michigan — Nissan North America unveiled a commercial-vehicle concept here today and called the NV2500 Concept part of its new "global commitment to the CV segment." The NV2500 presages a trio of all-new commercial vehicles that the company will build specifically for North America, with the first to be on sale by mid-2010. All will be built at Nissan's plant in Canton, Mississippi.

Nissan called the NV2500 Concept one of the largest concepts it has ever produced and "a rolling idea lab." Nissan Design America's vice president of design, Bruce Campbell, said in a statement that the goal was to "make these vehicles more than just a box on four wheels."

The NV2500 Concept is based off the full-size Titan pickup and measures 19.5 feet in total length, with a 147.6-inch wheelbase. Objects up to 10.5 feet long could be carried inside the vehicle with the passenger's seat folded.

The concept has a "wall-less" mobile office inside with a computer work station, storage compartments, cargo and tool tie-down racks and even a fold-down conference table. On the outside, an awning-style side panel can open into an exterior table. Campbell said the table could be used for construction-site applications or such niche-market uses as "a mobile Farmers' Market booth, a hot-air balloon launch...or beachside surfing school."

Doors are a complex and interesting part of the design. The driver-side door, called a "wide open door," has large integrated storage compartments. The passenger's side has a 90-degree-opening vertical door behind the standard passenger door, associated with the exterior workshop table, for a "picture window" view. The back has 60/40-split opening doors and a power rear step for access. What's more, the entire rear "wall" of the vehicle opens for access, visibility, and additional work space.

Nissan plans to partner with Cummins for the engines and ZF for the transmissions.

A set of 20-inch billet aluminum wheels dress up the exterior. Wraparound style windshield and front windows, a wide grille, lower-door glass cutouts and a fixed-glass roof panel with integrated solar panel technology all add "visual lightness" to the big vehicle's appearance, Nissan says.

Inside, innovative work-friendly solutions include a built-in retractable power cord in the instrument panel, ceiling storage with shelves, and a lighted storage closet with a "mudroom-style" grated floor behind the driver seat that can hold work boots, flashlights and other work apparel. The pièce de résistance may well be the built-in laser blueprint printer mounted in the ceiling, or the built-in shop vacuum.

Inside Line says: Vote of confidence in the American worker, and something for CV buyers to look forward to. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent