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Flights of fancy in the form of concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show are to be expected, and Nissan has released initial info and a sketch of its entry for this year, the NV200 van. The concept demonstrates an innovative use of space in a light commercial vehicle. A modern-looking panel van with a stylized front end from the outside, the NV200's gee-whiz feature makes itself known once the vehicle is parked. The cargo storage area is actually a movable pod that slides aft and hangs off the rear of the van. The space it vacates turns into a mobile office, as the front seat swivels back to face a drop-down computer table. Sounds pretty trick.

Since this is a concept car, there's a theme attached to it. In this case, the NV200 is designed for underwater photographers -- a very key demographic, obviously -- and it has wet/dry storage areas and other related features. Naturally, the pod could be configured to suit any number of purposes were the feature ever to become a production item. Whether or not there'd be a substantial real-world demand for such a thing is another question, entirely. Our Tokyo-bound team will bring you all the details on this and the other goodies from the show floor in October.

[Source: Nissan]