Nissan’s well-received Qashqai model has just passed the 1,000,000 sales mark after four years in production. The compact crossover model, which is also known as the Dualis in Japan and Australia and other markets, was designed and engineered in Britain. Introduced in 2007, Nissan expanded the crossover’s range with the presentation of the seven-seater, long-wheelbase version called the Qashqai+2 in 2008, while the entire series received an update in March 2010 with a refreshed design and powertrain refinements.
The Qashqai is currently manufactured in Nissan’s Sunderland factory in the UK, the Kyushu factory in Japan, and in Dongfeng Nissan’s Huadu Plant and Zhengzhou Nissan’s No. 2 Plant in China. Britain is by far the largest producer of the Qashqai, with more than 800,000 of the 1,000,000 being made in Sunderland.
As far as sales are concerned, Europe leads the way with a total of 759,370 units, 111,088 of which are from the UK, followed by Italy with 103,647 units.
“Qashqai is clearly the pioneer when it comes to ‘Compact Crossovers’, setting the trend that others in the industry follow,” said Guillaume Masurel, Nissan’s Global Chief Marketing Manager for Qashqai. “Its balance of key SUV attributes like robust design, roomy interior and higher driving position combined with the benefits of a hatchback such as great fuel economy, compactness and driving dynamics, resonates well with customers around the world.”
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