(March 11, 2010) Nissan unveiled its first commercial vehicle for North America, the NV, on Wednesday at a work-truck show in St. Louis.

The NV, or Nissan Van, will come with two engines: a 4.0-liter V6 or a 5.6-liter V8. Both are paired with five-speed automatic transmissions. The NV will come in 1500, 2500 and 3500 configurations. It launches this fall as a 2011 model.

The Nissan NV will be available in three models and in two roof configurations — standard and high roof. High roof models allow most users to walk and stand in the cargo area.

Nissan showed an exterior model in St. Louis with a separate model of the interior. The tallest version, which provides 76.5 inches of cargo height, was on display, and it was easy for an average-size adult to stand up in. It also offers a more modest version with 55.4 inches of vertical cargo space. There's also 120.7 inches in length of cargo space on the floor, and it has a fully boxed ladder frame and heavy-duty suspension.

Nissan North America chairman Carlos Tavares called the NV “a vehicle designed to help businesses run better.”

Though the NV is Nissan's first foray in the commercial sector in North America, it's been offering work products for 75 years and made the decision to launch the van four years ago.