2005 Nissan Pivo - AllCarIndex

Original name: ニッサンピボ

- Electric car with unique revolving cabin

- Compact packaging enabled by advanced electronics

- Drive-by-wire systems bring host of benefits

- Excellent visibility

The Pivo concept car examines the potential of future electric vehicles. The Pivo's most distinctive feature is its cabin that revolves 360 degrees, eliminating the need to reverse. A compact body also makes the car exceptionally easy to maneuver. Excellent visibility is enhanced by Nissan’s Around View technology, which helps reduce dangerous blind spots. The navigation and audio systems are simple to operate while driving. These features are supported by Nissan’s innovative environment-friendly technologies such as the Compact Lithium-ion Battery. Pivo promises to turn dreams into reality.

Easy-to-drive and user friendly

Outstanding maneuverability: Pivo is ideal for urban driving. It can easily pass oncoming traffic even on the narrowest streets and is a cinch to park in the tightest of spots. Pivo seats three passengers comfortably despite an overall length of just 2,700 mm. The driver sits front and center while two passengers sit side-by-side in the rear. Tall, electrically-powered sliding doors make it easy to get in and out without hitting your head.

There’s no going back: Parking in a tight spot invariably requires backing in inch-by-inch. But with Pivo there’s no going back; you simply pivot the entire cabin – hence the concept’s name. This ability to park while always looking forward is enabled by Nissan's advanced drive-by-wire technologies that preclude the need for mechanical connections between cabin and chassis.

Easy to operate with no hidden dangers: Today’s urbanites are deluged with information from all sides. But Pivo manages the flow with a host of telematics features that deliver the right information at the right time. The driver can control the information flow without taking the eyes off the road. What’s more, visibility is enhanced by see-through pillars, Nissan's Around View Monitor and other innovations that reduce blind spots.

Futuristic exterior and interior

Inside and out, Pivo’s state-of-the-art innovations are showcased by a design that is futuristic yet friendly. Front and rear lamps feature a clear, clean-looking design. And the exterior even features oval recesses both front and rear that are covered with soft materials – comfy places to sit outside when Pivo is parked. You find the same thoughtfulness in a soft, organic interior that extends from the center of the revolving egg-shaped cabin, which is the Pivo's most unique feature. Because the platform has a longitudinally symmetrical design, the driver's perception of the car's corners does not change even when the cabin is rotated 180 degrees.

Advanced technologies enhance driving experience

Pivo is powered by a Nissan-developed high-performance Compact Lithium-ion Battery and Nissan’s unique Super Motor. The result is zero emissions. Beyond this outstanding environmental performance, the electric powertrain enables a highly compact body. Designers made the most of Nissan’s Compact Lithium-ion Battery – which, being flat, require much less space than conventional cylindrical cells – to achieve remarkable packaging efficiency. Even more space and weight savings are achieved with Nissan’s Super Motor. One Super Motor on each axle delivers power to two shafts, each of which can be controlled independently. This allows efficient distribution of torque to all four wheels with two (not four) electric motors.

Pivo's unique revolving cabin is just one of the myriad possibilities enabled by Nissan’s multiple drive-by-wire technologies. These include steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire and shift-by-wire systems that replace mechanical linkages with electronic signals. By eliminating the need for mechanical links between cabin and chassis, designers were able to create the unique pivoting passenger compartment. Drive-by-wire technologies afford even more flexibility inside the cabin as the layout of steering, braking and other functions is no longer governed by mechanical linkages. Even better, drive-by-wire systems mean less weight and fewer mechanical parts.

See-through pillars and Nissan’s Around View Monitor helps to reduce dangerous blind spots. Cameras mounted on the outside of each A-pillar feed an accurate image of the surroundings to screens mounted on the inside of the pillar. The net effect is pillars that become virtual windows. The Around View Monitor meanwhile generates a 360-degree view of the car’s surroundings on a dashboard monitor. Cameras positioned front and rear on both sides of the car capture images of the surroundings. An innovative image processing technique synthesizes these images into a single bird’s-eye view.

A dash-mounted infrared (IR) commander allows drivers to operate the navigation system and audio system without taking an eye off the road or fumbling around for controls. It’s a new type of human-machine interface (HMI) that uses an infrared camera and Nissan’s "Magic 4" concept. You simply point fingers at the infared commander to choose from any of four items on a menu. If you want item number three, hold up three fingers. Or, for example, if you want the music louder, just motion upwards with your hand.

Thanks to Nissan's Horizontal Display there is even less need to take an eye off the road – because information is displayed along the bottom of the windshield. This system, first featured in the Serenity concept shown at the Tokyo Motor Show two years ago, displays information in the manner of movie subtitles. This innovative display system supports Nissan's future telematics interface concept. For example, in “City Browsing mode,” the system can display information transmitted live from nearby locations. What’s that building up ahead? City Browsing labels it.

What does the future have in store? Pivo points the way.