Juke Skywalker? Nissan unveils Star Wars-themed cars in LA
Star Wars and Nissan form a Rebel Alliance at Los Angeles Motor Show
Right now, at a motor show far, far away, Nissan is displaying a unique collection of themed cars, ahead of December's release of the next Star Wars film.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will draw quite a crowd when it appears in cinemas from 15 December and Nissan hopes these extraordinary creations will encourage cinemagoers to investigate their dealerships after the final credits have rolled.
Unveiled at the Los Angeles Motor Show, the collection is based on North American-market models. Perhaps the most striking of which is this Nissan Altima, which has received a makeover based on the Special Forces TIE Fighter, right down to its front windscreen and matching wheel covers, while a stripe of red camouflage is true to that employed by the First Order's ships.
The Nissan Maxima slots above the Altima in Nissan's US range and a face mask worn by Star Wars: The Force Awakens character Kylo Ren is the inspiration for this menacing matte-black machine, which sits on a pool of blood-red illumination.
Meanwhile, a second Maxima represents the character's Tie Silencer, a craft that debuts in the new film. It comes complete with wings, red illumination from the lower front grille and daytime running lights, though it appears Ren will need to find an alternative route into the cockpit – all four deals are sealed shut.
Captain Phasma made his first appearance in The Force Awakens and a third Nissan Altima draws inspiration from the somewhat medieval-appearing armour he uses. This black and silver machine features an impregnable-looking front spoiler formed from a single slab of aluminium.
We know it as the Nissan X-Trail, but Rogue is the name the Japanese company's medium-size SUV goes by in North America, and it's the speedy A-Wing starfighter that inspires this blue and white machine. Front-end modifications are few, but thrusters and laser cannons are hard to miss towards the rear of the car, and off-road tyres presumably help with landings on muddy terrain.
One of the more outlandish cars in the collection is this second Nissan Rogue, intended to resemble Poe Dameron's X-Wing fighter. Unmistakable, with its battle-scarred matt graphite paint, four outstretched laser cannons and astromech peeping through the roof, this is one SUV that'll make the Empire think twice before it strikes back.
'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' will be released in UK cinemas on 15 December.
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