Nissan Pivo
You could never accuse Nissan of looking backwards. But here's a model that's a complete turnaround for car design. And it removes the need to reverse!
The Pivo is an ingenious way to showcase Nissan's by-wire technology. We love its unique bubble shape, but more impressive is the fact everything works so well - from the rotating cabin to the blindspot-reducing TV cameras. We look forward to seeing how some of the Pivo's systems are incorporated into future Nissans.
You could never accuse Nissan of looking backwards. But here's a model that's a complete turnaround for car design. And it removes the need to reverse!
Meet the Pivo, a three-seater with an amazing rotating cabin. Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October, the bubble-shaped baby was a star ofthe event, even drawing attention away from the firm's new GT-R sports car.
So when the Japanese company invited Auto Express to its Yokohama design facility to take a test drive, we couldn't wait to see how the wacky newcomer would fare on the move.
Designed and built to showcase Nissan's state-of-the-art by-wire technology, the Pivo's deliberately futuristic bodywork is a sensational sight. Sitting in one of the manufacturer's bright white studios, it's hard not to think you've stumbled across some sort of space pod from a science fiction film.
Climb inside and the wild styling appears even more extreme. With a spherical cabin and a centrally mounted driver's seat, the new model is ultra-modern and surprisingly roomy.
In addition, there's the Pivo's party trick. Flick a switch on the steering wheel and electric motors rotate the entire cabin through 90 or 180 degrees, depending on the direction in which you want to travel. This makes parallel parking and manoeuvring simple.
The power is supplied by compactlithiumion batteries and two electric motors which drive each axle and enable the Pivo to turn on its own radius. All the main controls - throttle, gearshift, brakes and steering - are by-wire, and these computer-assisted systems make driving easy. Grasp the U-shaped wheel, select forward mode, depress the accelerator and away you go. Apart from a little tyre noise and the hint of a motor whirring in the background, the vehicle is almost silent.
Visibility is great, too. Cameras linked to monitor screens show occupants what's happening behind the car's blind-spots, and although the top speed is currently limited to 15mph, Nissan says it can hit a much more road-friendly 60mph. Yet while the company says it is happy with the Pivo's current performance, it wants to make two big improvements - to reduce weight from over 1,000kg to around 800kg, and to extend the battery life beyond one hour.
So when those issues have been resolved, are we going to see lots of Pivos on the roads? Not for a while, says the firm's head of design, Shiro Nakamura. "This may be a way ahead for the Micra in around 10 years' time." Whatever lies in store for the Pivo, expect to see some of the technology on production Nissans soon.
