Nissan shows its 370Z sports-car snowmobile at the Chicago Auto Show

Chris Woodyard | USA TODAY

No doubt about it, it's been a cold, snowy winter in the upper Midwest -- and for the Chicago Auto Show, Nissan set out to do something about it.

The automaker unveiled two concept vehicles aimed at demonstrating how its cars can be loaded up with accessories.

The more eye-catching of the two is a Nissan 370Z Roadster that's been turned into a 332-horsepower snowmobile, of sorts. The rear wheels have tracks like on a tank or bulldozer and the front wheels have skis. The result is that it can go skidding through the drifts.

It's called the 370Zki, as in 370-ski.

The other vehicle turns Nissan's largest SUV, the Armada, into a ski-support vehicle.

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The Armada Snow Patrol, as the concept is called, has been given extras like three-inch suspension lift, extreme off-road tires, massive front bumper, light bar and a roof rack.

Nissan's CEO takes a swipe at Tesla Nissan has unveiled the 2018 Leaf, a fully electric vehicle with autonomous features and an improved driving range. The Japanese automaker has priced the vehicle at $30,000.

"Every year we try to bring some unique winter show cars and trucks to Chicago, which is the nation's most-attended consumer auto show. This year we've outdone ourselves with the vehicles and the show space itself," said Dan Bedore, a Nissan spokesman, in a statement.

