2008 Nissan Forum Concept

Though minivan sales have cooled significantly in the past five years, American families snap up more than a million minivans annually. Brands like Ford, Nissan, and GM may have pulled back from minivans entirely but Chrysler, Honda and Toyota are still dedicated to providing buyers with those traditionally flavored family movers.

The Forum concept isn't unrecognizable to minivan drivers and owners. It has the big box in back for kids and cargo, but Nissan designers have gone with a higher beltline, styled side glass and a wider stance, to give a more sporty feel to the traditional one-box van. Emphasizing that theme is a curvaceously sweeping grille that is accented by a soft LED light bar. While Nissan hasn't eliminated the sliding doors that parents love, it has carefully hidden their tracks.

The front doors swing open to a 90-degree angle. Further enhancing the sense of spaciousness, the Forum's sides have lost the typical B-pillars that would reinforce the middle of its body; instead, designers have penned in stronger door and roof frames. Atop the Forum, the huge SkyView roof contains hidden sunshades, permitting the glass to be closed off on hot days.

Nissan has even built in a pair of "Kids Cams," which can be displayed on the instrument panel's LCD monitor. If a little discipline is needed, there's also a "Time Out" system, which will mute all audio devices - and broadcast the driver's voice on all the Forum's speakers.

Under the hood, the Forum features a clean diesel engine, like the one the automaker is planning to offer in the next new Maxima sedan. It's mated to a version of the mileage minded continuously variable transmission (CVT) Nissan has been rolling out throughout its global product lineup.

Whether the Forum will take a place in the Nissan lineup is unclear. It's obvious that the automaker is looking for an acceptable alternative to its slow-selling Quest minivan. If the Forum gets people talking the idea up during the coming auto show season, Nissan very well could find a place for this new people mover.