Las Vegas Weekly

Nissan jumps on the food truck trend with a concept van

Grilled Cheese Truck is one of two food trucks that Nissan unveiled in November.

At the LA Auto Show in November, Nissan showed a pair of concept cars—okay, vans—that capitalized on a still-steaming culinary concept. Rather than the sleek, undulating spaceship lines of Alfa Romeo’s 4C Concept “supercar” (it boasts cute Italian flags on the side mirrors and cat-eye headlights) or the BMW 328 Hommage’s doorless, Mission Impossible look (Stylish? Sure. Practical? Not if you’re wearing a skirt), Nissan showcased something that’s always in fashion: sandwiches.

Snacks don’t normally come to mind when thinking of concepts cars (or car shows), but Nissan delivered two tasty creations in LA courtesy of NV2500 model vans outfitted for the show as commercial food trucks. Manned by mobile eateries Coolhaus and the Grilled Cheese Truck, the smaller-than-your-average food trucks served up homemade ice cream sandwiches and a mac ‘n’ cheese pork rib sandwich creation to convention-goers and auto industry insiders. And they gave the auto media something else to chew on: a vehicle nodding to current trends with no-charge packages that include interior storage shelves and a professionally designed exterior wrap (that can make your van look like it’s covered in cheese). And since no car show is complete without a stat-driven vehicle comparison, Car and Driver pitted sandwich vs. sandwich in a blog post that rated the treats in everything from fuel economy to steering feel to driver comfort. The victor? The Cheesy Mac and Rib, by a nose.