Nissan to Release All-New Caravan

Tokyo -- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that the all-new Caravan, a small cabover van, will be released in the domestic market on May 14 following the execution of a full model change.

Ever since it premiered in 1973, the Caravan has been enthusiastically acclaimed for its excellent driving performance, interior comfort, functionality, economy and especially for its outstanding payload capacity. This latter attribute is one of the most notable features of the Caravan, which has long been a representative brand in the small cabover type of one-box car segment.

The Caravan has undergone its first full model change in fifteen years. This new-generation model has been developed around the product concept of "an innovative one-box business partner that brings 'profits' to owners while allowing drivers to enjoy exceptional 'ease of use' with complete 'peace of mind'". Besides providing improved economy and functionality in a variety of work uses, the Caravan also features high-level crashworthiness along with enhanced interior comfort and hospitableness for the driver. As a result, it will boost work efficiency more than ever before while providing greater occupant safety. The vehicle is well-suited to use in a wide range of businesses, including delivery businesses that mainly carry goods, equipment construction and installation businesses that need to transport work crews and their tools to various locations, and self-employed people who use their vehicles for both work and pleasure. Moreover, the Caravan features enhanced cockpit convenience together with a car-like driving posture and interior design. These attributes also make the Caravan eminently suitable for personal use by people who need a large cargo area to carry their gear for leisure activities such as surfing or motor-cross. The major features of the Caravan are outlined below.

New-century van combining safety with large cargo space
Being in the number four vehicle size category is an extremely important factor with respect to the upkeep cost of commercial vehicles, including insurance premiums and expressway tolls. To meet that condition, the Long Body Caravan models have been designed with an overall length of 4,690 mm*. Within that dimension, the body has been built with enhanced crashworthiness by providing a crushable zone at the front, among other measures, while still securing ample payload capacity, which is an essential requirement for work use

Novel, stylish exterior design
The Caravan has been executed in a novel, premium-quality exterior design never before seen in a commercial vehicle. The protruding front nose expresses a sense of strength and peace of mind while the streamlined rendering of the body panels imparts a feeling of functionality. The exterior and interior of the VX and GX grades in particular convey an impression of stellar quality with a personal touch.

Cockpit designed totally for user convenience and comfort
As a vehicle intended for work use, the cockpit affords excellent freedom of movement and comfort. The instrument panel has been designed with a horizontal motif and models fitted with an automatic transmission have a column-mounted shifter, allowing easy walk-through access to the front passenger's seat. Storage places have been improved and expanded to accommodate numerous items neatly, including work-related documents, cards and coins needed for driving, beverage bottles and also a tissue box, which is often carried especially in commercial vehicles.

In addition, Nissan's Ergonomic Seat has been adopted for the driver along with using computer simulations to achieve the optimum driving posture and layout for the operating controls. As a result, the driver's seat minimizes fatigue even after many hours of driving.

Outstanding economy and reliability
The ZD30DD direct-injection diesel engine adopted for the Caravan improves fuel economy by approximately 13%* over the previous model, and the oil change interval has also been extended from 5,000 km to 15,000 km. Moreover, steps have been taken to enhance the vehicle's resale value, such as by dramatically increasing body stiffness and improving the anticorrosion treatment and body construction. These considerations keep any deterioration of quality to a minimum even after an extended period of use and the accumulation of high mileage

Sales target: 2,000 units/month

Dealers selling the Caravan:
Nissan Blue Stage: Nissan and Motor channel dealers
Nissan Red Stage: Satio, Prince and Cherry channel dealers,
including Nissan Red and Blue Stage dealers that handle all models

Overview of Caravan
1. Exterior/interior

The exterior design gives the viewer an impression of outstanding safety and reliability, thanks to the image of strength and peace of mind imparted by the protruding nose. With its upright body sides, the square form hints at the huge cargo capacity on the inside. The side portions of the front bumper are rendered in a "sidekick" shape that also contributes to excellent crosswind stability.

Intended to provide highly functional space resembling an easy-to-use office, the interior has a commodious feeling, affords effortless ingress/egress and allows easy movement inside the vehicle.

Concentrating the control functions in the center cluster has resulted in an interior that is exceptionally easy to use and is imbued with a fine-quality feeling.

Created with personal use in mind, the VX and GX grades adopt such features as body-colored bumpers and dedicated seating systems and come with a fully trimmed interior. Both the exterior and interior of these grades project an image of enhanced quality with a personal touch.

2. Packaging and body construction
A cabover layout has been adopted to provide safety combined with payload capacity.

The overall length of the Long Body models measures 4,690 mm*, staying within the number four vehicle size. Within that overall length, the nose portion has been extended forward 190 mm to create a crushable zone for enhanced crashworthiness. At the same time, the vehicle packaging provides an amply long cargo area to satisfy users' requirements for cargo space.

The Long Body models achieve a minimum turning radius of 4.9 m, which is on a par with that of small passenger cars. The corresponding figure for the Super Long Body versions is 5.4 m.

The front seat area features a roomy construction, achieved in part by making the floor as flat as possible. Models fitted with an automatic transmission have a column-mounted shifter for easy walk-through access to the front passenger's seat.

Based on computer simulations, the body structure has been improved to increase stiffness dramatically, thereby eliminating unpleasant vibrations for reduced driver fatigue during long-distance driving. In addition, it also helps to prevent deterioration of quality even after a long period of vehicle use.

All models adopt a seamless body construction between the roof and the body sides. Besides enhancing the look of quality, this construction is also more resistant to rust. As a further measure, steel sheets with an anti-corrosion treatment are used at many places throughout the body.

3. Interior comfort and payload capacity
Adopted as the driver's seat is Nissan's Ergonomic Seat that incorporates a cushion with a high-elastic pad for minimizing fatigue even after sitting continuously for long hours. The optimum driving posture has also been achieved based on extensive computer simulations, along with optimizing the layout of the operating controls. Additionally, the Caravan is easy to drive and will feel entirely natural even to customers who switch from a passenger car.

A host of convenience appointments have been adopted for neatly storing all the items that drivers need for their work and actually bring with them into the vehicle, as revealed by the results of a market survey. Such appointments include a multifunction center console and a multifunction seatback console, both of which have a table-like upper surface and can store A4-size documents inside. Various other storage places, such as upper and lower instrument panel trays, are also provided for conveniently and functionally storing a variety of things from small items to beverage bottles.

A survey of the cargo actually transported in real-world businesses indicated that nearly all long items can be accommodated if the cargo area has a length of approximately 2,700 mm. Based on that finding, the cargo compartment of the Long Body models was made 2,800 mm in length while staying within the number four vehicle size. Moreover, the 3/6-seater versions have a cargo area that is approximately 1,800 mm long even when configured to seat six passengers (DX model fitted with a sliding second-row seat).

In the Low Floor models, the dimension between the wheelhouses in the cargo area has been expanded to a maximum of 1,120 mm (DX), making it possible to accommodate Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) T11-type pallets. Five boxes of A4-size copier paper can also fit flat across the floor, compared with four boxes previously. In addition, the upright body sides increase the width of the cargo compartment near the roof, enabling the Caravan to carry more cargo.

4. Engine selection
Gasoline-engine models offer a choice of two 4-cylinder engines--the 2.4-liter KA24DE engine and the 2.0-liter KA20DE engine. Both engines feature a twin-cam design and electronic control to produce a flat torque characteristic in all speed ranges. Because they generate high torque in the low-speed range in particular, they provide improved driveability even at low vehicle speeds.

Diesel-engine models are fitted with the 3.0-liter ZD30DD 4-cylinder direct-injection engine that generates greater power and torque and also improves fuel economy by approximately 13%* over its counterpart in the previous model. The oil change interval has also been extended from 5,000 km previously to 15,000 km as a result of controlling the combustion temperature to a lower level to avoid oil degradation.

5. High-level safety and environmental friendliness
The crushable zone provided at the front of the vehicle gives the Caravan sufficient impact energy absorption capacity to meet Japan's crash safety standard for passenger cars in full overlap frontal impacts at 50 km/h (based on in-house test results for a vehicle equipped with an airbag SRS).

A driver's airbag SRS is standard on the VX and optional on other grades. A front passenger's airbag SRS is also optionally available on all models. In addition, an antilock braking system (ABS) is a standard safety feature on the VX and the GX van grade and optionally available on all other grades.

The Caravan achieves a recyclable rate of more than 90% by weight, and the fuel tank, wiring harness and various other parts are lead free.

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE CARAVAN

Suggested Retail Prices in Each Region (excluding consumption tax)

(thousands of yen)

☆ Model in the photo

E-AT:electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission,5MT:5-speed manual transmission
*1:Factory-installed option. Panel van also available (5,000 yen less).
*2:Factory-installed option. Half-panel van also available (same price).

(thousands of yen)

E-AT:electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission,5MT:5-speed manual transmission
*1:Factory-installed option. Panel van also available (5,000 yen less).
*2:Factory-installed option. Half-panel van also available (same price).

Autech Japan to Release Caravan Personal Chair Cab
and Caravan Work-Use Models with Special Specifications

Autech Japan, Inc., a Nissan affiliate, today announced that it has customized a new-generation Caravan Personal Chair Cab lifecare vehicle* and various work-use models with special specifications in conjunction with the release of new Caravan. These new models will be released throughout Japan on May 14.

*Nissan Group companies use the term lifecare vehicle (LV) to refer to vehicles that are specifically designed to assist persons with special mobility needs in their everyday lives.

Overview of Caravan Personal Chair Cab

The Caravan Personal Chair Cab LV has been highly acclaimed as a courtesy vehicle at social welfare facilities and hospitals and has been patronized by a wide range of users. Standard appointments include a lift that enables wheelchair users to enter and exit the vehicle in their chairs and wheelchair tie-downs for securely fastening a chair during travel. With the assistance of a caregiver, persons with disabilities can easily enter the vehicle in their chair or on a stretcher and travel comfortably in that manner.

The new-generation Caravan Personal Cab has been developed around the concept of "thoroughgoing user friendliness." Interior and exterior features have been fully updated to provide comfortable mobility that gives users complete peace of mind. Substantial improvements have also been made to various functional appointments for reducing the workload of caregivers.

<Examples of user-friendly features>
Fully trimmed interior
Assist grips that are covered with a soft pad and are more readily visible

<Examples of features for reducing the workload of caregivers>
All models are fitted with motor-powered wheelchair tie-downs.
For the seat upholstery beginning with the second-row seats, Type 1 models adopt Cabron* artificial leather that resists soiling and is easy to wipe clean and Type 2 models feature a tricot fabric with a warm, inviting look.

Caravan Personal Chair Cab Lineup
The lineup includes Type 1 models with a more extensive roster of appointments and Type 2 models that come with basic features. Each type is available in specification packages designated as A, B and C.

Package A: allows versatile use of the spacious interior (4-door model seating nine passengers including two wheelchair users)
Package B: accommodates more passengers (4-door model seating ten passengers including two wheelchair users)
Package C: features sliding doors on both sides (5-door model seating ten passengers including one wheelchair user)

Overview of Caravan Work-Use Models
Autech Japan has newly customized six work-use models with special specifications for release next month: the Insulated Van, Cool Van 10, Medium-Temperature Refrigerated Van, Fresh Carrier, Base Vehicle for Refrigerated Van with Two Compressors and the Lifter-Equipped Van. All six models are available with a gasoline engine.

The Medium-Temperature Refrigerated Van is available in a model with two compressors, one for the cabin air-conditioner and one for the cargo compartment refrigerator. This allows more accurate control of the temperature in the cargo compartment. This two-compressor model is fitted with a gasoline engine.

Dealers selling Autech-customized Caravan models:
                          Nissan Blue Stage: Nissan and Motor channel dealers
                          Nissan Red Stage: Satio, Prince and Cherry channel dealers,
                                                       including Nissan Red and Blue Stage dealers that handle all models

Suggested Retail Prices in Each Region for Caravan Personal Chair Cab (excluding consumption tax)

(thousands of yen)

☆ Model in the photo

E-AT:electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmisson

Suggested Retail Prices in Each Region for Caravan Work-Use Models (excluding consumption tax)

(thousands of yen)

E-AT:electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmisson