Nissan is currently presenting its new X-Trail SUV to a field of journalists at an event in Greece, but the engineering that has gone into the new model has been around for a couple of years now. The X-Trail is based on a vehicle architecture known as the Alliance Platform C. This platform was actually developed by Renault several years ago for its Megane range, but the design was borrowed by Japanese engineers at Nissan who modified it using input from tech centers based in the US and Europe.

The first model based on the revised structure was the Japanese Lafesta minivan, which was then followed by Europe’s Qashqai crossover. According to Wards Auto, the US will receive its own version labeled the Rogue crossover, which has been designed to feature more powerful engines than its Euro and Japanese cousins. It doesn’t end there. The platform is going full circle, ending back with Renault for its new Koleos SUV.

The development of this model family was truly a global effort. European engineers worked on the specifics of the sat-nav systems and interior storage, while engineering was mostly done using computer models in Japan. In fact, only one complete prototype was used since it was already 98% complete.