Nissan, the leader in the crossover market, revealed firsthand the objects used to test its models. Curious?
This approach of the Japanese brand, strange to say the least, intended to replicate normal everyday situations. For David Moss, vice president of the Nissan Europe Technical Center, the aim is to ensure that vehicles are carefully tested to meet customer needs, even if “we look like eccentric inventors,” he says.Since 2007, Nissan has performed over 150,000 tests across the entire crossover range, including:
- The use of special robots to open and close windows at least 30,000 times per model;
- Activation of the windshield wipers for 480 hours at different speeds and weather conditions;
- The use of the stereo system at high volume for a total of 1200 days with specifically selected music tracks, including the highs of Mariah Carey and the lows of German house music;
- Dropping weights to ensure that the glass roof can support the weight of a grizzly bear climbing the car;
- The use of different cups, bottles and containers to check the usefulness of cup holders and bags on doors.
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Nissan's dedication was such that the Qashqai's tailgate bag was eventually redesigned, when news emerged that a new bottle of a popular Japanese green tea brand wouldn't fit in it without getting slightly dented.
The Nissan people are kind of weird, aren't they? But the truth is that Nissan's strategy has paid off: in the last year, Nissan's crossover sales exceeded 400,000 units in Europe, which corresponds to a 12.7% share of the crossover market. It's a case of saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it“.
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