Nissan Has Already Built The 500,000th New Generation Qashqai

The Nissan Qashqai has broken another record, reaching the half-million milestone faster than any car built in the UK.

Only 21 months after production of the second-generation Qashqai began in Sunderland, Nissan has built the 500,000th unit. Since the crossover entered production in January 2014, a new Qashqai has been built every 62 seconds on the Sunderland factory’s Line 1, with nearly 100,000 (20 percent) of these being delivered within the UK.

The announcement sees the Nissan Qashqai beat previous records set by the Mk1 Ford Cortina, which needed 34 months to hit the half million landmark, and the Austin/Morris 1100/1300, which reached the same total in 29 months.

The Qashqai is the best-selling crossover in Europe, with the UK being its leading market followed by Italy and Germany. However, Nissan doesn’t sell the Qashqai only in Europe. Although originally designed for the European market, the crossover is offered in 84 countries worldwide including Uganda, Zambia, and Saint Kitts.

“Half a million Qashqais in just 21 months is an astonishing achievement and proof that the Qashqai is hitting the spot with buyers. Together with the pioneering first generation version, there are now more than 2.5 million Qashqais on the road in Europe, making Nissan the undisputed leader in the Crossover sector,” said Nissan Europe chairman Paul Willcox.

From late autumn 2015 the new Qashqai will also be manufactured in St. Petersburg, Russia for the local market.