The 2007 Tokyo Motor Show ended last week, but today we're cleaning out our closet of yet-to-be published posts from this biggest of biannual Japanese auto shows.
Click above image to view more live pics of the crab-like Pivo2 from Nissan
After a few days of regurgitating the same old story to the world's press, company PR men are apt to let little gems slip as fatigue and boredom set in. This year's classic comes from a Nissan PR man, who for the sake of his career, shall remain nameless.
The Pivo 2, replete with an R2D2 like co-pilot and wheels that can twist 90 degrees to the car's axis, was "designed with urban females in mind, as they have bad senses of direction and are not so good at driving." His words, not ours.
Click through to find more pictures of Nissan's answer to this urban malaise.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jerk Face @ Nov 2nd 2007 12:09PM
Wow. Just, wow.
Yggdrasilly @ Nov 2nd 2007 12:42PM
Actually, the "We'll-make-things-easier-for-the-ladies" reasoning is also the rationale behind automatic transmissions, Saturn dealerships and the popularity of SUVs.
Sounds like the sales rep--attempting to translate that rationale into a language and culture he imperfectly understood--made it sound offensive rather than soothing.
Now, if he'd said "Pivo 2 is designed for women who are rebelling against linear, masculine ideas of auto design and introduces a feminist dynamic into the world of personal translation," he would have been saying much the same sort of (seperatist, patronizing) thing, but he would have been applauded.
1337 @ Nov 2nd 2007 1:09PM
This will give the Brilliance BS6's crash test a run for its money!
nissanfreak87 @ Nov 2nd 2007 1:23PM
eh, it's kinda true, I almost nailed some lady in her Prius this morning because she didn't know what a Yield sign was.
quite the large faux-pas though
Alex B @ Nov 2nd 2007 4:41PM
Bad drivers come in both flavors. Yesterday I almost nailed a guy in a Tacoma because HE didn't understand what a yield sign was (unfortunately I was in a Scion so I guess actually he would have been nailing me).
nissanfreak87 @ Nov 2nd 2007 4:22PM
It's true, people of both sexes suck at driving, I was trying to be a bit humourous, but oh well
500 @ Nov 2nd 2007 1:49PM
Was this Nissan PR man based out of Japan, or was he an American just working at the show?
If he works for Nissan America, he'll be fired. If he works for Nissan in Japan, he'll probably get a raise.
Toy Yoda @ Nov 2nd 2007 7:35PM
Looks like an octopus that needs to be in the next "Little Mermaid" movie. You know the one, "Under the sea, Under the sea, darling it's better down where it's wetter, take it from me."
gearhead18 @ Nov 3rd 2007 1:09AM
This would be a decent vehicle for crowded high-populous areas but that disembodied monkey head freaks me right out