A company that has adapted snowmobiles to travel over sand has just passed a summer trial with the UAE Armed Forces and is marketing its vehicle as a potential game-changer in regional border protection. The tracked, all-terrain vehicle produced by the Swiss company Sand-X Motors is similar to a snowmobile but has two front wheels instead of skis. To withstand brutal summer temperatures and the abrasion associated with sand, it uses 300 unique parts including strong Kevlar tracks.
Urs Eiselin, the owner and founder of Sand-X Motors, says he has sold about 300 units since 2007, primarily to wealthy recreational users looking for more speed, range and versatility than is available from a four-by-four or a quad bike. The company has sold its civilian vehicle in 16 countries, including all six GCC states, Mr Eiselin says. The base model of the Sand-X costs US$25,000 (Dh91,750), but the price has been known to go as high as $75,000 because of custom requests including special colour schemes, inlaid precious metals and adaptations for falconry trips such as coolers, TVs and even a remote control.
The novelty of the Sand-X has even landed it a spot in a Hollywood action film coming next year from Rob Cohen, whose directing credits include The Fast and the Furious. In May, the company launched military sales with a single, unspecified military contract in the GCC. "This could revolutionise border protection," Mr Eiselin said. "Currently, 90 per cent of the GCC borders are desert, and there is no vehicle that exists today that can patrol in these conditions the way Sand-X can." igale@thenational.ae
