The 40th Tokyo Motor Show is getting up to speed as you read, and among its various events, Nissan is planning on a formal unveilling of its update to the 2005 Pivo concept electric car. The Pivo 2 should excite people who don't like parallel parking and those who like eco-friendly transport. It's cuteness factor has also already made someone go "ahhh! so sweet!" as they peer at my screen while I write.
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Nissan has added lots to its thinking on this concept over the last couple of years, and the new design has wheel-pods on each corner that rotate and allow the buggy-like car a huge amount of manoeuvrability. All that wheel twizzling round in this "METAMO" drive-by-wire system can save you a lot of effort in parking.
It's 'front-loading' door is apparently designed to feel welcoming and the concept incorporates "intelligent life design" such as lamps that are meant to convey the "expression as if being asleep, waking up or feeling good". In a move that's cleverly aimed at the Star Wars fan market-share, the dash even includes an R2D2-like "endearing Robotic Agent". This chap sits there and "infers the driver's condition" then supplies you with necessary driving information and even "speaks to you to cheer you up or to soothe you accordingly." Hmmmmm.
It looks weird and lovable and strangely desirable and pretty unlikely, but if you look at the history of the Smart car as it went through its conceptual development in a very public way at Motor Shows, even unlikely designs can end up on the road for real.
So one day, the Pivo 2 may turn into something you can actually own... I'd be tempted, if only by the prospect of using its spaceship-style controls to zip around town while ordering my dashboard R2"P"2 to lock down that pesky stabiliser.
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