Nissan Van Could Be NV of Contractors Everywhere

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MIAMI – They’re everywhere: lurking in your neighborhoods, parked at businesses you frequent, maybe even in your driveway now. They are…commercial vans.

Although an ugly, utilitarian box on wheels to some, commercial vans are a critical work tool to the thousands of Americans who drive them every day.

Yet, it turns out commercial-van owners are some of the least-satisfied customers in the auto industry, Nissan research finds.

For that reason, the Japanese auto maker is “investing big” in the segment, hoping it can steal U.S. market share from Detroit and Germany with its new ’12 NV large commercial van.

Nissan has discovered the right formula to do so, imbuing the body-on-frame van with just about every user-friendly aspect it could think of to give it a competitive edge.

Nissan is confident in the NV because Ford and General Motors’ segment-leading models have aged, with few major changes, barring GM’s 2003 switch to a fully-boxed frame and some smaller updates to both in 2007-2008.

Ford’s E-Series – comprising 57% of all 2010 large van sales, according to Ward’s data – and the Chevy Express/GMC Savana right behind haven’t been fully updated in at least 15 years, Nissan reminds.

While the F-Alpha ladder frame underpinning the NV is no spring chicken either, dating back to 2003 when Nissan introduced its Titan fullsize pickup, the auto maker claims it’s been bolstered for the NV.

Despite its age, Nissan considers the NV’s chassis to be “all-new” as engineers redid the F-Alpha into a heavy-duty platform to meet the durability standards and criteria for commercial-van ride and handling.

The NV’s frame shares just one cross-member with the Titan’s. It is longer and wider than the Titan’s and taller, with a different, stiffness-boosting, cross-member layout.