Drones and cars have combined on plenty of concept cars in recent times, but the idea took a bit longer to be deemed feasible enough for production. Nissan has decided to make the X-Trail, a family SUV, available with a follow-me drone as part of its optional X-Scape pack.
Although it hasn't offered it as an option on a production car before, Nissan (among others) has played around with follow-me drones in past. The company developed a one-off racing drone to show off its new GT-R last year, while Rinspeed played with idea on the Etos Concept.
The X-Scape eschews the bespoke racing drone from the GT-R launch for a more conventional Parrot Bebop 2. Although it is unchanged from the standard Bebop internally, the drone included with the X-Trail is finished with special Nissan branding, and comes with a Parrot SkyController and first-person goggles. Maximum flight time is 25 minutes and once you're done, there's a storage case included in the package as well.
The drone also has follow-me functionality, which means you could (theoretically) have it fly along behind the car as you tackle exciting off-road adventures. Alternatively, it could be used to film the school run, because that's what most family four-wheel drives are used for.
Along with the drone, the X-Scape option package includes satellite navigation, a panoramic sunroof and roof rails for lashing down your bikes, kayaks or surfboards. It will cost you £500 (US$650) in the UK, with no word on whether the option will be making it to the USA.
Source: Nissan UK