Back in March, Nissan debuted the NV2500 full-size commercial van concept, and in July we showed you the first evidence that work on Nissan’s new van was well under way with a test mule wrapped in yards of heavy plastic sheeting. We’ve caught the “mule” once again – this time with the plastic wrap off – but still with the donor- Armada sheetmetal.
The angles of our previous photos showed massive frame rails underpinning the test vehicle, as well as heavy duty, 8-lug wheels – indicating this will be a serious commercial truck.
The vents we see on the rear quarter panel also intrigue us. This probably means there is a battery pack somewhere at the rear of the vehicle for a hybrid powertrain. Nissan’s Vice President of Commercial Vehicles and Fleet said “a hybrid or electric vehicle has to be considered for commercial” when speaking about the NV2500 concept. It is also possible the vents could represent a hybrid system used to run power tools from the van itself.
Much like the departing Dodge Sprinter, there will be many different variations of Nissan’s new van. Cargo vans, passenger vans, flat beds and even a possible school bus configuration will be the order of the day for this new Nissan.
A 5.0L Cummins turbo-diesel should find its way into Nissan’s new van along with a few other powertrain options.
The NV2500 will go into production at the Canton, Mississippi plant in 2010.
10/30, 9:39 AM
posted by:
Genesis101
How is this the NV2500? This looks more like an Armada facelift.
10/30, 9:44 AM
posted by:
2WheeledSpeed
“We’ve caught the “mule” once again – this time with the plastic wrap off – but still with the donor- Armada sheetmetal.”
Uh… Read the article…
10/30, 9:50 AM
posted by:
Genesis101
^^ no need for the smart remark even though I CLEARYdidnt read the article but thank you for stating the obvious!
10/30, 9:51 AM
posted by:
Genesis101
..and yes I meant didn’t as in DID NOT!!!
10/30, 9:52 AM
posted by:
2WheeledSpeed
lol, sorry if that came off mean.
10/30, 10:18 AM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
5.0 Cummins… cool.
10/30, 11:19 AM
posted by:
DenverGuy217
I wonder if there is enough room to make a mini-Winnebago type vehicle out of this…
10/30, 11:51 AM
posted by:
ajm11
So does this mean that Nissan may also enter the HD pickup truck market?
10/30, 12:39 PM
posted by:
85ZingoGTR
I don’t understand why they do that. When they show spy photos the manufacturer slaps on body panels from another model. The Armada in this case. Is this so that they cover up how the vehicle will really look and throw off reporters?
10/30, 12:49 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
… especially when it’s a commercial van. I mean what’s the competition going to do… “look, it’s shaped like a box. Why the hell didn’t we think of that?”
10/30, 1:30 PM
posted by:
superman
at first i thought what the hell is this? but looking at more pictures, it looks awesome…for a commercial van.
10/30, 1:50 PM
posted by:
The Stig
Diesel will raise eyebrows … and sales.
10/30, 2:19 PM
posted by:
johngalt
DenverGuy: Doesn’t look tall enough, like the Sprinter box is, for a little motorhome.
10/30, 2:27 PM
posted by:
psiclone
I believe this segment is the last bastion that the imports haven’t challenged the domestics on (Sprinter is in a different class in my opinion). Hopefully this will cause GM and Ford to update their full-size vans. They really need modernizing and this Nissan will make them seem all the more archaic.
10/30, 7:13 PM
posted by:
armstealer
Wow I’ve never liked a Nissan before this…
11/03, 10:04 AM
posted by:
mwc5446
Are there any rumors of a ‘family’ version? i.e. Quest replacement…