Nissan wins the weird concept prize

The prize for the most bizarre concept car at the Detroit Show this year goes to Nissan for the Bevel. I've seen the car in the metal and I still can't work out the point of it! It takes a one-box MPV shape, but is designed around the driver and his needs rather than those of a family. Nissan calls it a crossover that acts like a kind of workshop on wheels.

Externally, the Bevel does feature some pretty unique ideas, from the painful obsession with asymmetry to the cool LED lights front and rear. Even the exhaust is plain odd, with a square outlet in a circular tube. That's only the start of it though.

Inside, there is the option to house up to four people, but for the show Nissan had folded down the other three seats to create a single-seat van-type affair. Although it's not very big inside - you'd struggle to fit in a mountain bike. Part of the luggage area is taken up by a removable box section that apparently doubles up as an enclosure for pets and even features a specially-designed pet leash swivel connection point... Once the hatch is open, an extra platform hinges down to form a sturdy location for who knows what.

The interface with the car is equally innovative, based around a "ribbon"-shaped instrument panel and steering wheel. You see in the photographs that there is no steering column. This is thanks to the use of a complete drive-by-wire driving system. The flat dashboard is used to project a huge variety of information, including images from the mirror cameras and vehicle information, climate control, satnav, in-car entertainment and access to phone settings, weather and traffic reports, Internet and e-mail, while also allowing the driver to access a home network and monitor locks and security system, heat and air conditioning, appliance, room lighting and garage door status.

Wednesday January 10