Nissan · 2006–2015

Nissan Qashqai (J10)

The Nissan Qashqai (first generation) (known as the Nissan Dualis in Australia and Japan and as the Nissan Xiaoke in China) is a compact SUV that was produced by Japanese carmaker Nissan from December 2006 to October 2015. Designed by a team led by Stefan Schwarz, the Qashqai is widely regarded as one of the first urban crossovers and the first Nissan developed almost entirely in Europe. Development began in 2002 to replace the poorly marketed second-generation Almera. Two years later, a concept was presented at the Geneva Motor Show. The production version was presented in September 2006 at the Paris Motor Show, and sales began in Europe and the Middle East in 2007. By 2009, the Qashqai was also sold in South Africa, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The Qashqai was initially only a five-seat model, until a longer seven-seat version named Qashqai+2 launched in Europe in September 2008. Both were facelifted in 2010, featuring a sportier exterior design. By this time, the vehicle was a global success, reaching its one millionth car sold in May 2011. Production in Sunderland, United Kingdom, ended in March 2014, when a second-generation model was introduced. Subsequently, production ended in Japan in 2014 and in China in 2015. Total cumulative sales reached 2 million by 2014, making the Qashqai a great success for Nissan, which helped it earn the nickname "cash cow".

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Development

In March 2002, a 25-member engineer team of Nissan Technical Centre in Japan assembled to discuss a project of the successor model to its vehicle Almera, which proved to be a failure on European markets. On December 13, 2002, the team met again to show the results of an 8 month-long development process. The result was a compact MPV car that was meant to compete with Volkswagen Golf Plus and SEAT Altea. However, it was calculated that this car would also be a failure for Nissan. As a result, the development of Almera's successor ceased in 2003. It was decided to come up with a completely different concept: a car with the swiftness, practicality and versatility of an SUV, but with the size, dynamics and expense of a compact family hatchback. At the time, the newly established crossover SUV's were still very different from small hatchbacks and saloons, so this concept was a breakthrough. Designers described the future car as a "mini-Murano", referring to the larger Murano, which was recently released in the United States and Canada. The Qashqai development was part of Nissan's new marketing strategy in Europe: not to produce cars in existing segments, but to create new, more unique cars for new market niches. Prior to the Qashqai, this strategy had been demonstrated by the Note model, a mini MPV which entered the European markets in 2006. The development of the model continued, initially in Japan. The development mule of the future car was being tested at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe. At the same time, the product planning department was busy considering feedback and opinions from potential SUV and hatchback buyers in order to add new improvements to the new model. The concept of the model was formalized in two words: "urban nomad". The Qashqai was designed by a team

Markets

=== Europe === The production car was first unveiled to the press by Carlos Ghosn on September 6, 2006 at a special presentation event. A larger presentation of the Qashqai for the general public took place three weeks later at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, held from September 30 to October 15, 2006. The company had high hopes for the Qashqai from the very beginning: according to Carlos Ghosn, it was planned to sell an average of about 100,000 cars annually in Europe, and 80 per cent of buyers, according to the company's calculations, were expected to become new customers for Nissan. On October 23, 2006, a themed website was launched at www.nissan-qashqai.co.uk, which allowed the user to make a Qashqai in the configurator and place it against the background of a city location. Serial production of the car in Sunderland began on 5 December 2006, on the production line previously occupied by the Nissan Primera on Line 1 and a percentage of the Almera's line 2. Around 130,000 cars were to be produced annually, of which 80 per cent were to be exported, mainly to Europe. On 16 April 2007, production of cars with a two-litre diesel engine began, by which time the model from the UK had already been exported, in addition to Europe and Russia, to Japan, Australia, South Africa, South America and the Middle East. On the day the production began, a price list with European model configurations was published: the basic Visia model was priced from £13,499, the mid-range Acenta from £14,999 and the top-of-the-range Tekna from £16,499. The price of the most expensive model was £21,899. On January 25, 2007, the model became available for test drive and pre-orders. Sales of the Qashqai in the United Kingdom began on March 1, 2007 with prices ranging from £13,499 to £22,149. In France the

Safety

On 13 September 2012, Nissan recalled 51,000 cars worldwide to investigate a reported steering wheel problem. It affected the Qashqai, Qashqai+2 and NV200 models. == References ==

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Specifications

name: Nissan Qashqai (first generation)
Manufacturer: Nissan
aka: Nissan Dualis (Japan, Australia)
Production: December 2006 – October 2015
Assembly: United Kingdom: Sunderland (NMUK), Japan: Kanda, Fukuoka, China: Xiangfan (Dongfeng Nissan)
Designer: Stefan Schwarz
Class: Compact SUV
Body style: 5-door crossover SUV
Layout: Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive, Longitudinal front-engine, all-wheel drive
Platform: Nissan C platform
Related: Nissan X-Trail, Renault Megane
Engine: Petrol:, 1.6 L HR16DE I4, 2.0 L MR20DE I4, Diesel:, 1.5 L K9K I4 turbo, 1.6 L R9M I4 turbo, 2.0 L M9R I4 turbo
Transmission: 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic, CVT
Wheelbase: 2630 mm, 2760 mm (Qashqai+2)
Length: 4315 mm, 4535 mm (Qashqai+2)
Width: 1785 mm
Height: 1605 mm
Successor: Nissan Qashqai (second generation)
sp: uk