Nissan prides itself on its all-terrain capabilities, specifically with the Rogue crossover. The small SUV is known as the X-Trail overseas, and the brand recently used the nameplate on a different type of vehicle altogether.
Nissan, we have a bobsled team.
The X-Trail Bobsleigh is the world’s first seven-seat bobsled, and it takes inspiration from the aforementioned crossover, which also seats seven. The gravity-powered people-carrier recently made its inaugural run at the Olympic Sliding Center in Innsbruck, Austria.
“We wanted to give the opportunity to experience first-hand the adventurous nature of our crossover segment through the thrill and excitement of Olympic bobsleighing,” said Darryl Scriven, Design Manager at Nissan Europe.
The bobsled-SUV connection doesn’t stop at passenger capacity though, because the X-Trail features a faux V-Motion grille as well as Nissan’s signature boomerang-shaped headlights. Born from a collaboration between Nissan, bobsled manufacturer Diego Menardi, and bobsledding expert Ian Richardson, the vehicle is capable of reaching speeds of 62 mph and can pull up to 4.5G in the corners.
Nissan’s romance with winter sports is proving to be fruitful one, as at the 2016 Montreal International Auto Show in Quebec, the brand debuted the incredible Rogue Warrior concept. Instead of standard wheels, the one-off vehicle equips a massive snow track system called the Dominator, which allows the crossover to drive up to 62 mph in snow. The Rogue Warrior also features 23 inches of ground clearance and can scale a 45-degree incline with ease, making it the perfect choice if you need to reach the summit in record time.
Despite its intimidating look, however, the Rogue Warrior is actually fairly close to stock. The vehicle’s tracks, suspension, and wheel wells have all been swapped out, but the engine, all-wheel drive system, and even the X-tronic transmission are all unchanged from the factory. Check out the concept in action here.
