Dubai, UAE - January 07, 2008
Nissan Qashqai Sales Hit 100,000 In Europe - Generates strong appeal in Middle East
Nissan’s popular Qashqai compact crossover has sold 100,000 units only nine months after launching in Europe – and Middle East demand is following the same trend.
The model has exceeded sales forecasts in all markets since its launch in March, in markets such as Holland, Portugal and Austria, Greece, Slovakia and Norway.
The UK and Russia are the Qashqai’s two largest markets. Proportionately, it is doing equally well in the Middle East.
“Today’s motorists have a wide range of requirements when choosing their SUVs, which is why Nissan has the largest range of SUVs in the Middle East,” said Abdul Ilah Wazni, SUV Brand Manager at Nissan Middle East. “An increasingly important factor for customers in making their decisions is fuel economy and the opportunity to take cars over all types of terrain; making the Qashqai an ideal choice for many.”
Customer feedback shows that buyers like the Qashqai for bringing something new to the market, especially its strong, distinctive design which mixes the styling cues of a traditional hatchback and an SUV.
“Qashqai is a new concept in compact crossover SUVs; providing the economy of a compact car with the ruggedness and off-road capability expected of an SUV, the Qashqai combines these elements to provide drivers with two increasingly popular requirements – fuel economy and off-road capability,” added Abdul Ilah.
The Qashqai was designed and developed in Europe following extensive research of local market buying patterns and a deep consumer analysis of unmet needs among car-buyers. Nissan Europe’s product planners identified an opportunity in the market to design and develop a vehicle which provided more dynamic design, yet maintained the elevated driving position which is popular, but not at the expense of driving enjoyment.
In May 2007, the car was awarded the maximum five-star rating for adult occupant protection from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), with the highest-ever score for any vehicle.
The 2008 Nissan Qashqai model boasts distinctive interior and exterior design, cockpit cabin concept and Nissan’s dynamic safety engineering. Its 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, 16-valve engine delivers 142hp/5,200 rpm with torque of 20.5 kg-m/4,400 rpm, coupled to Xtronic CVT transmission with six speed manual-shift mode. Alloy wheels are fitted with 17-inch tires.
Main features include front fog lamp, Bluetooth Hands Free Phone System, Xenon head lamps, auto air-conditioning with dual zone temperature control, six-speaker audio system with six-disk CD changer, rear parking sensors, intelligent key, fine vision instrument gauges, cruise control, illuminated steering wheel controls and rain-sensing wipers.
Nissan’s highly praised electronically controlled ALL MODE 4x4Ò system and a four-wheel drive is implemented to provide greater traction for safer driving and extra control in all weathers. Other safety features include side and curtain airbags and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC).
