The Nissan Pivo is a series of electric concept cars, the first shown at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. Its central idea is a cabin that turns through 360 degrees on a four-wheel chassis, so the car never needs to reverse and parking becomes easier. Two later versions followed in 2007 and 2011.
Nissan Pivo at a glance
| Pivo 1 | shown at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show |
|---|---|
| Cabin | three seats, rotating 360 degrees |
| Power | lithium-ion battery |
| Pivo 2 | 2007, with wheels in rotating pods |
| Driver companion | an inbuilt robot in Pivo 2 |
| Pivo 3 | 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, one seat front and two back |
| Pivo 3 feature | Automated Valet Parking |
| Pivo 3 control | remotely manoeuvred with a smartphone |
based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Nissan Pivo.
History of the Nissan Pivo
Pivo 1 (2005)
The first Pivo was a 360-degree rotating three-seater cabin on a chassis of four wheels, eliminating the need for reversing and making parking easier. It was powered by a lithium-ion battery, with large doors for easy access and large windscreens and windows for visibility. It also carried Nissan’s Around View Monitor, which reduces blind spots by showing the surroundings on screens mounted inside the A-pillars on either side of the windscreen.
Pivo 2 (2007)
The updated Pivo 2 moved the wheels into rotating pods that let the car drive in any direction. Together with the rotating cabin, this allows the car to pull up beside a parking space and simply rotate 90 degrees to drive in sideways instead of parallel parking. The cabin now had a single door at its front, so passengers could get in or out from any direction, and the car included an inbuilt robot companion.
Pivo 3 (2011)
The Pivo 3, shown at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, has one seat in the front and two in the back. It introduced Nissan’s Automated Valet Parking, which lets the car find a space, park itself and recharge while parked at specially equipped car parks, and remember where it is. The Pivo 3 can also be manoeuvred remotely with a smartphone.
Design and features
- Rotating cabin: 360 degrees of movement for the three-seat interior.
- No reversing: the car turns to face the direction of travel.
- Around View Monitor: cameras replacing the blind spots.
- Automated Valet Parking: self-parking and charging in the Pivo 3.
Nissan Pivo versions
- Pivo (2005): lithium-ion electric concept with a rotating cabin.
- Pivo 2 (2007): rotating wheel pods and a robot companion.
- Pivo 3 (2011): three seats, valet parking and smartphone control.
The Pivo was an experiment in city electric cars, a theme Nissan later took into production with the Leaf, and it shared ideas with the Hypermini. More cars are in the Nissan collection.
Video: Nissan Pivo 2 Concept
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- Nissan Pivo, English Wikipedia: the three concepts and their features
