NISSAN has challenged convention with the launch of the world’s first seven-seater bobsleigh in Innsbruck, Austria.
The X-Trail Bobsleigh was inspired by the design of the Nissan X-Trail and undertook its inaugural run at the historic Olympic track in Igls, piloted by British Olympic medallist Sean Olsson.
Nissan worked with bobsleigh experts to transform a traditional four-man sled into an X-Trail inspired seven-seater capable of reaching 100 km/h and pulling a G-force of 4.5G*.
The bobsleigh mimics the Nissan X-Trail’s bold design, with distinctive front aspect, headlamps and seven-seater option. It gives passengers a 360-degree, bird’s-eye view to capture all of the action – identical to the Nissan X-Trail’s Around View Monitor system.
Like the bobsleigh, the X-Trail’s sophisticated ALL MODE 4×4-i system helps the driver keep control even in ice and snow.
Darryl Scriven, Design Manager Nissan Design Europe (NDE), teamed up with expert bobsled manufacturer Diego Menardi and sport expert Ian Richardson to morph car design with Olympic aerodynamics.
Ian Richardson and Diego Menardi have over 50 years of combined experience in the industry, delivering Olympic track experiences and sleighs to winning teams across the globe.
Darryl said: “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.
Nissan Design Europe took inspiration from the shape and character of our X-Trail to create the X-Trail Bobsleigh, which was handcrafted by Diego Menardi at his workshop in Cortina. The outcome mimics the fresh ideas and technologies from the brand’s ground-breaking crossover models.”
The seven-seater was developed using sketches and computer-aided design (CAD). The detail on the bobsleigh nose was crafted to express the X-Trail’s V-motion grille and capture the sculpture of the hood character lines.
This work was complemented by Diego Menardi’s structural lengthening of the cabin to accommodate seven passengers.
Vital statistics: how the X-Trail and X-Trail Bobsleigh compare
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X-TRAIL Tekna 1.6 dCi 4×4 |
VS |
X-Trail Bobsleigh |
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Feature |
Statistic |
Feature |
Statistic |
|
|
Seats |
Seven |
Seats |
Seven |
|
|
Height |
1,710mm |
Height |
850mm |
|
|
Length |
4,640mm |
Length |
4,200mm |
|
|
Gross weight |
2,160kg |
Gross weight |
895kg |
|
|
Kerb weight |
1,580kg |
Kerb weight |
310kg |
|
|
Engine size |
1.6 dCi |
Engine size |
N/A |
|
|
0-100km/h |
11 seconds |
0-100km/h |
30 seconds |
|
|
Top speed |
186km/h |
Top speed |
105km/h |
|
|
Power |
130PS (HP) |
Power |
621 HP (463 KW) |
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