What's the news?
The Nissan Juke, which already holds the intriguing world record for fastest mile driven on two wheels (yes, seriously) is at it again, this time being used to set a 'Blind J-Turn' record.
Right, what's a J-Turn? You know in Hollywood car chases, when a car reverses at high speed, then spins around to face the other way before speeding off? That's a J-Turn - effectively a handbrake turn done in reverse, using the front brakes instead.
And a Blind J-Turn? Well, that's the tricky part... Legendary stunt driver Paul Swift is the man who's set the record, appropriately in the Juke's home town of Sunderland in the north east of England (no jokes about British U-turns, please...). For the stunt to work, the Juke's windows and windscreen were all blacked out, leaving Swift with the Intelligent Around View Monitor, or I-AVM, to help him. AVM uses four cameras to give either single views of the back, front or sides of the car plus the option of an overhead 'bird's eye view' for parking. According to Nissan, "Intelligent AVM is part of the Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision for a safer and more sustainable driving future. It's also one of the key building blocks of Nissan's move towards ProPilot, the brand's autonomous driving technology. The first Nissan car in Europe to feature ProPilot will be revealed next year." That has confirmed as a new Nissan Qashqai, incidentally.
Swift was therefore able, with his eyes on the dash, to reverse the Juke at high speed, and then spin it around 180 degrees in a space just 45cm longer than the whole car.
Anything else?
Swift said: "I don't recommend drivers try to park using AVM and a J-turn like I did, but I can really see how using the AVM technology in everyday driving situations would be a real benefit to Nissan customers.
"Looking at the 360-degree view on the dashboard screen - rather than over my shoulder through the rear window - was strange at first, but I quickly adjusted. The AVM cameras gave me a clear view of the track so I was confident of staying within the lines."
Stewart Callegari, General Manager for Advanced Planning, Nissan Europe: "This stunt is the perfect demonstration of the Nissan brand promise - Innovation that Excites. That promise is all about developing technology to make drivers' lives simpler and safer, and Around View Monitor does just that. Nissan Intelligent AVM also includes Moving Object Detection, which alerts the driver if something - for example, an animal or pedestrian - is close to the vehicle. This gives the driver enhanced awareness of their surroundings and improved peace of mind."
READ: Nissan Juke review