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Nissan Marks 20 Years of Qashqai, Model That Launched Compact Crossover Boom
Nissan is marking 20 years since the Qashqai, which in 2006 became the first mass-market compact crossover. On the occasion of the anniversary, the question of the next generation of the model has been raised.
By George Kensington · 3 min read
Nissan is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Qashqai, the model that in 2006 launched the mass segment of compact crossovers. The anniversary coincides with questions about the company's next step in this segment, as few confirmed details about the new generation have been released so far.
The Qashqai debuted as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2004, and the production version was presented in Paris in 2006. The name was borrowed from an Iranian nomadic tribe, while in Japan the car was sold as the Dualis. The idea emerged after the replacement for the Almera was cancelled in December 2002, which pushed the company to seek a new direction. The concept was based on the Murano SUV, and the platform was shared with the Renault Mégane.
The model was not the first compact crossover in the strict sense: it was preceded by the first-generation Toyota RAV4 and the Honda HR-V. However, the Qashqai made this class truly mass-market. The first-year sales target of 100,000 cars was exceeded within nine months, and by 2008 production had to be organized across three shifts. An update arrived in 2009.
Production of the first generation ended in 2013. During this time, around 1.7 million cars were built, of which about 250,000 were sold in the United Kingdom. The second generation sold more than 370,000 units in the United Kingdom and about 1.25 million worldwide. The third generation received the ePower hybrid system, and the fourth, which appeared in 2021, continued the lineup.
The car is built at Nissan's plant in Sunderland, while engineering work is carried out in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. Notably, the launch of the Qashqai came at a time when the company had only a few years earlier been saved from bankruptcy through Renault's intervention. This restructuring set the new direction for the development of the model range, in which the Qashqai became one of the key pillars.
The anniversary is marked not only by recollections but also by a look at competitors. Among the future rivals mentioned are the Dacia Striker, the Jaguar Type 01 and the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, which, according to available information, is due to appear in 2028. The next-generation Qashqai is expected at roughly the same time, but its specifications and timing have not been officially confirmed, and Nissan has not revealed what its next step will be.
Source: autoexpress.co.uk
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