Nissan’s recent announcement about building 100,000 more Rogues a year in Japan starting in 2016 is now followed by a report that says significant changes are planned for the Rogue lineup in North America.
Two sources familiar with Nissan’s product plans told Automotive News that the automaker plans to expand the Rogue lineup in North America by adding a hybrid version in 2016 and bringing the European Qashqai crossover.
The latter would be sold as a smaller and more fuel-efficient version of the Rogue, effectively replacing the lower priced, previous-generation Rogue Select.
The decision to build the new Rogue at the Kyushu plant in Japan will result in the facility discontinuing the Rogue Select.
The Nissan Qashqai shares the same architecture with the Rogue (which is sold as the X-Trail in Europe), but it’s 10 inches (254mm) shorter and has a 2-inch (51mm) shorter wheelbase. As a result, the Qashqai offers less cargo space than the Rogue. When it arrives in the US, the Qashqai may be offered with the 1.6-liter gasoline engine that returns approximately 53 mpg US.
As for the Rogue Hybrid, it will likely use the same powertrain as the X-Trail Hybrid sold in Japan, which pairs a 145hp 2.0-liter gasoline engine with a 30kW (40hp) RM31 electric motor and a high-output lithium-ion battery. Nissan declined to comment on the report.
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