Pivo 3 (Japan, 2011)

Nissan is back with a new Pivo concept. This third generation was presented at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show and revealed a vehicle very close to what the next step in urban mobility will be.

"PIVO is one of the answers for active urbanists living in mature markets. Through the three PIVO proposals, we have gained a deep understanding of their needs in such large, metropolitan areas. Each of the eight concepts that we have created address different needs, different communities, different lifestyles for different markets. That makes zero emission mobility an ambitious statement for the company,” explained Francois Bancon, Deputy Division General Manager of Product Strategy and Product Planning Division.

PIVO is an ultra-compact city commuter targeting singles and couples living in and enjoying an urban lifestyle, which extends the offer of Nissan’s EV lineup already counting with the Leaf compact hatchback.

The Nissan Pivo 3 comes with automated parking and automatic charging functions. Thanks to the Automated Valet Parking (AVP), Nissan expects to revolutionize the parking experience by connecting to and responding to infrastructure. With this technology a driver no longer needs to find a parking space, physically park the car, or remember which space the car is parked. The vehicle is prepared to park automatically in specially-equipped parking lots and recharge itself or sell excess power to the grid. Location of Pivo 3 by the driver will be made via a smartphone.

The Pivo 3 is a very compact car, with a length of just under 3000mm and with a seating layout of 1+2. Thanks to the compact body and narrow-tread wheels with IWM (in-wheel motors) the vehicle has a very small turning radius with zero turn gap. PIVO 3 is able to make a legal U-turn in a road only 4m wide.

Like the previous PIVO 1 and PIVO 2, PIVO 3 uses electric power and by-wire control technology to permit freedom of layout and the downsizing or elimination of many mechanical parts. In-wheel motors are used to give wheels great freedom of movement, and more space in the vehicle chassis.

On the outside the PIVO 3’s design counts with long body lines and angular planes, which together with the front fenders extending out of a crouching chassis hand it a look of agility.

Pivo 3 has been thought for a community where EV’s represent a large percentage of all cars collectively serving as part of a city's infrastructure and as a way to help balance electric power supply and demand, opening the doors to the urban society of tomorrow.