The Nissan Qashqai is a compact SUV built since 2006. The first generation was sold as the Nissan Dualis in Japan and Australia and as the Qashqai elsewhere; the second, from late 2013, was not sold in Japan and became the Rogue Sport in the United States. The car is named after the Qashqai people of Iran.
Nissan Qashqai at a glance
| Production | since 2006 |
|---|---|
| First generation | J10, on sale February 2007 |
| Concept | 2004 Geneva Motor Show |
| Built for Europe at | Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK, Sunderland |
| Styled by | Nissan Design Europe, London |
| Engineered by | Nissan Technical Centre Europe, Cranfield |
| Japanese name | Nissan Dualis |
| Second generation | from late 2013 |
| US name | Nissan Rogue Sport |
| Third generation | from 2021, with hybrid powertrains |
based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Nissan Qashqai.
History of the Nissan Qashqai
From Almera replacement to crossover
When the Renault-Nissan Alliance formed in 1999, Nissan’s new chief operating officer Carlos Ghosn told the company to transform its European range, with the slow-selling C-segment Almera as the focus. In early 2002, 25 European Nissan engineers travelled to Japan for a 12-month project to develop the Almera’s successor, planned as a larger car to compete with the SEAT Altea and Volkswagen Golf Plus. In December 2002 Nissan concluded that plan would not be profitable enough, and the team proposed a “mini-Murano” smaller than the X-Trail, with the desirability and practicality of an SUV but the size, dynamics and running costs of a family hatchback.
J10 (2007)
Engineering was done by Nissan Technical Centre Europe and the design by Nissan Design Europe, which produced the 2004 Qashqai concept. During final development Nissan decided the car would replace both the Almera in the C-segment and the Primera in the D-segment, and chose its Sunderland plant for European production. The production car was shown at the 2006 Paris Motor Show and went on sale in February 2007 with a target of more than 100,000 sales a year. Codenamed P32L, it was the first model styled by Nissan Design Europe in London, with engineering led from Cranfield in Bedfordshire, and it sold more than 1.24 million units in Europe over seven years. Cars from the UK were also exported to the Middle East and other markets.
Later generations
The second generation arrived in late 2013 for the 2014 model year, badged Qashqai everywhere except the United States, where it was the Rogue Sport. Since the third generation of 2021 the Qashqai has been available with hybrid powertrains. In Europe and Australia it sits between the Juke and the X-Trail, which shares its platform.
Design and features
- Almera and Primera replacement: one car for two segments.
- Sunderland build: the European production base.
- London design: the first model styled at Nissan Design Europe.
- Hybrid option: added with the third generation in 2021.
Nissan Qashqai versions
- Qashqai J10 (2007–2013): the first generation.
- Nissan Dualis: the Japanese and Australian name for the J10.
- Qashqai second generation (2013–): the Rogue Sport in America.
- Qashqai third generation (2021–): with hybrid powertrains.
The Qashqai replaced the Almera and Primera in Europe and sits between the Juke and X-Trail. More cars are in the Nissan collection.
Video: 2014 Nissan Qashqai 1.2 DIG-T Tekna – Fahrbericht einer Probefahrt
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- Nissan Qashqai, English Wikipedia: background, J10 development, plants, names, later generations
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