The Qashqai: Nissan’s new compact crossover for Europe
Newswheel staff :: 07 September 2006 :: Filed under Crossover, Hatchback, SUV, Nissan, Nissan Qashqai, Europe & UK
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Soft-roader by another name?
“There’s change in the air. As consumers, we are no longer prepared to put up with the dull or the conventional. We want something new, something different…thanks to the Nissan QASHQAI something different has arrived. You need never drive a boring car again.” So, says Nissan about its new compact crossover, designed and built in the UK. Uh huh…
(Flick those fingers for the bigger picture)
In simple terms, you can chalk the Qashqai up as another ever-so-slightly-unusual family car in the mould of the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the new Dodge Caliber. At 4,310mm in length, 1,780mm wide and 1,610mm tall the Qashqai is almost exactly as long as, but significantly taller and a whisker narrower than, the current five-door Ford Focus (which measures 4,342mm, 1,840mm and 1,447mm respectively).
In concept, it’s also not a million miles away from soft-roaders such as the Toyota RAV-4 – there’s a whiff of extra ground clearance, just a hint of butch body cladding and optional four-wheel drive on the 2.0-litre diesel and petrol engines (the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel lumps are front-wheel drive only). Transmission options include manual, CVT and conventional slushbox cog-swappers.
If you’re wondering about the batty Qashqai moniker (pronounced “cash-kai”), Nissan reckons the car is an “urban nomad.” And since the Qashqai are a desert-dwelling nomadic tribe living near the Zagros mountains in South Western Iran…well, whatever.
Intriguingly, despite being designed largely at Nissan’s London office and built at the company’s production facility in Sunderland, the Qashqai will also be exported to Japan as well as being offered in several other export markets including the Middle East. But not the US of A. Nissan hopes to sell 100,000 units per year in Europe alone.
The Qashqai gets its world debut at the Paris motor show beginning September 28th. No word as yet on UK pricing or on sale dates.
Posted 14 January 2007, by Daniel.G
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