A Tokyo Motor Show without wacky futuristic concepts is like sushi without wasabi, and Nissan at least, won’t disappoint at this year’s edition of the event.

After a short break in 2009, the Japanese carmaker is returning to the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show with the third iteration of the PIVO concept, which follows the PIVO 1 from 2005 and the PIVO 2 from 2007.

While the PIVO 3 keeps the three-seat layout with a central driving position as well as the all-wheel steering system of its predecessors, it’s styling has evolved and moved closer to production.

Francois Bancon, Nissan deputy divisional GM for product strategy, says that while the company has not yet made any final decision to produce the PIVO, it is considering it:

“There is no decision to do this. We are now considering the next step of the EV after LEAF and Infiniti EV and an LCV EV. We are going to have many ways to propose to the market what seems radically different, it must be an EV signature [model], if you will.”

“So, while PIVO 3 is one of the candidates, this is not the only one. If you remember, we made years ago, a kind of compact sports EV. We have a lot of investigation into what kind of category we should go – what kind of body type, what kind of story we are going to tell to the people with this car. So I would say, PIVO 3 at this stage is one of the candidates. If we do this, we should do this after the first wave of product, LEAF, NV200 EV and the Infiniti EV. So let’s say, we talk about something in 2016 or 2017 or about then.”

The compact 3-seater model measures under 3.0-meters (118-in.) long and is motivated by four in-wheel electric motors. As noted previously, it gets all-wheel drive steering that makes it highly maneuverable in the city.

The PIVO 3 is also equipped with an Automated Valet Parking (AVP) system that enables the car to automatically drive, locate a parking space and park without any driver assistance in the infrastructure-equipped parking lots of the future. And if that ain’t enough, Nissan says that it can also charge itself and return to its driver at the AVP exit when called by smartphone.

VIDEONISSAN PIVO 3NISSAN PIVO 2NISSAN PIVO 1