Nissan's Chappo is a nice little chap

Nissan's Chappo concept car at Geneva stopped people in their tracks if for no other reason than the sheer whiteness of the vehicle on the stand. The very square van-shaped car was the company's expression of its thoughts on when a car will become 'a social space for young people to gather'.

(Duh ... did nobody mention the VW bus of the hippie 60s?)

Still, it worked for this viewer's eyes anyway. Stark white and cheerful strawberry red give the Chappo as shown a summery feel, fruit and cream. And if this is where my (as yet non-existent) grandchildren will have their 'living room on wheels', it seems fine to me. Indeed, since it is billed as a place 'to work', to enjoy music or videos, maybe to surf the web or to play interactive games', then it might just suit my own lifestyle as well.

Continuing Nissan's own description of the car, it reiterates themes of a traditional Japanese tearoom with styling cues inspired by tatami texture and circular windows. The concept of the designer was of a house overlooking a Zen garden, with the Chappo as a room on wheels and the garden anything from an urban cityscape to a beautiful bay.

The Chappo is designed to reflect the fact that across the world, youth demands increasingly personal and diverse solutions to lifestyle and recreational needs," says Shiro Nakamura, vice president of Nissan's Design Division.

Quite. Anyway, the 3-door city car Chappo is tall enough for agitated conversation, flexible enough for studious or lounging around needs, and has an exterior which reflects all these things and more. The rear seat, at rest leaving plenty of central activity room in the car, can be slid forward to just behind the driver when on the move. Also while at rest, the steering wheel can be put flush with the dashboard just by touching a button. And of course, to make it a true 'living room', the driver's seat swivels backwards (at rest) so he or she can properly take part in the conversations and happenings.

The one door on each side is for everybody, and can be opened from either direction because each vertical edge has both hinges and locks, operated electronically depending on which way is required by the user.

In this information age, screens play a big part. The Chappo has two retractable screens, a 7" one which pops up from the dashboard and a 15" one which drops down from the roof for those in the rear. The controls include GPS navigation and communication systems, as well as required information dealing with the doings of the car.

The Chappo concept also uses computer voice-operated technology both to make it work and to get information, so there's no need for an operator to be distracted by a screen while engaged in the important matters of safe driving. The screen in the back also links to the controls of a laptop keyboard which slides out from its stowage space in the side of the vehicle.

In an automotive world where speed and power may no longer be as important as they are to today's motorists, the Chappo is pointing towards a direction of easier and more life-serving manners. Hey, I could buy into this.