Nissan Qashqai dives head first into record books with gravity-defying bungee jump
Performing a regular bungee jump is daunting enough, now imagine taking up the gravity-defying stunt in a car.
That is exactly what Nissan (France) did, breaking the record for the highest car bungee jump at a dizzying 65 m (213 ft 3 in ft) in Puteaux, France on 12 August.
This was a new record title with a minimum height of 65 m needed to claim the title.
The car used was Nissan’s Qashqai e-Power. Did you know the Qashqai was once described as a “huge leap forward” for the SUV? A huge leap!
The idea of a bungee jump was an “obvious one”, according to Nissan’s Marketing Director Jérôme Biguet.
In its various TV adverts, the Nissan Qashqai has gone skateboarding, surfing, and paintballing, so breaking a daring world record was the logical next step.
It took a month of planning with a custom platform being built to hold the car.
As the car was being held stationary, the platform had to support it in two positions: horizontal and at a 45-angle to give the car momentum before the jump.
The car’s interior was stripped except for the driver seat and the dashboard to lighten its weight.
A tailor-made bungee consisting of eight ropes was created to provide greater control over how far and how fast the car would come down.
To hold the car in position, both a crane and cage were used, meaning the crane operator had to be precise in his timing of the jump and movement of the platform.
The attempt took place in scorching 38°C (100.4°F) heat in the neighbourhood of the Paris Business District.
All teams arrived at 6 a.m. to install the crane and level it properly.
Before the bungee jump, the height of the crane from the ground was taken using a laser measure tape by Official Adjudicator Prav Patel.
Nissan invited French professional race driver and stuntman Laurent Lasko to be inside the car and take the ‘wheel.’
With the car on the caged platform, the crane operator raised the car into the air ready for the big jump!
The cage then opened, and the car came gliding out.
Just like a regular bungee jump, the red Nissan car plummeted towards the ground before bouncing up and down.
At the end of the jump, the car was slowly brought back to the ground.
For the attempt to be successful, both the car and the bungee rope had to stay intact.
After a nervous wait, Prav was able to confirm with the witness and bailiff that it was a new world record!
This is the kind of challenge that Nissan furiously loves. The brand has always shown its ability to innovate and shake things up with audacity and sometimes even impertinence. In its various TV adverts, the Qashqai has tried its hand at skateboarding, surfing, and paintballing, all sensational activities. The new campaign will see it leap from building to building. The idea of bungee jumping as a symbol of the new Qashqai's personality was an obvious one. - Jérôme Biguet, Marketing Director, Nissan France
Nissan is set to use the record to promote the Qashqai e-Power and show that it defies the ordinary.
