2010 Nissan Qashqai

NISSAN QASHQAI UPDATED FOR 2010

· New front-end design
· LED rear lights
· Two new colours
· Added refinement
· New Pure Drive version with 129g

Rolle, Switzerland (Dec. 3, 2009) - Nissan's mid-size Crossover, the Qashqai, will undergo an extensive update in the spring of 2010 to cement its position as the class-leading, pioneering alternative to the traditional hatchback in Europe. Customer deliveries will begin in March.

Since its European launch in March 2007, the Qashqai has exceeded all sales ambitions, with the 500,000th customer delivery scheduled to take place later this month.

Building on its huge popularity among European Qashqai customers - over 80% of whom are first-time Nissan buyers - the updates to Qashqai reinforce its position as a stylish Crossover which combines the dynamic driving characteristics of a sporty hatchback with the robust, solid virtues of a compact SÚV.

REFRESHED FRONTAL ASPECT
The most notable visual change to the Qashqai is at the front, where a complete makeover has taken place. All new bonnet, front bumper, wings, grille and headlamps combine to give the Qashqai an air of premium sophistication, presence and quality. The new frontal aspect is shared with Qashqai+2.

At the rear, the overall shape of the lights remain unchanged, but they now include an aerodynamic feature to reduce drag. A more transparent lens design has been adopted, with the upper portion, housing the reversing lights and turn indicators, being clear, while the lower section with the brake and nighttime running lights, is red. Additionally, the stop lamp and tail lights operate using 12 LEDs for maximum clarity.

TWO NEW EXTERIOR COLOÚRS


Additionally, two new designs of alloy wheels will be introduced. Both are five-spoke designs - one 16- one 17-inch in diameter - which both add to the Qashqai's understated presence.

As well as the changes to the front of the Qashqai, a series of other modifications around the car have had the effect of improving its aerodynamic efficiency, with the coefficient of drag dropping from 0.34 to 0.33.

The Qashqai will feature a new, design to the main dials which give added clarity and legibility. A redesigned drive computer is positioned between the two dials. Its white LCD screen shows instantaneous and average fuel consumption, mileage, time, cruise control and speed limiter settings among others, providing the driver with an easy to understand interface with their car.

NEW LEATHER TRIM


A new stone colour leather trim has been added, which will combine with an upper door trim and dashboard in black and lower portion of the interior which is also pale grey to give a light, but warm interior ambience.

Another improvement to the interior comes with the fitment of low-level lighting around the front footwells, giving a warmer ambience on getting into the car.

Additional oddment storage has been created for added convenience, with a new cubby at the base of the central cluster which is ideal for a mobile phone or portable audio player. Additionally on the two-wheel drive versions (where the ALL MODE selector isn't fitted), there is a new space for parking tickets, keys and swipe cars conveniently located between the seats just behind the gear selector.

IMPROVED REFINEMENT

Overall life on board has been made more comfortable for occupants thanks to improved protection against noise, vibration and harshness. This has been achieved by adding an all-new multi-layer insulation material around the front bulkhead, as well as the fitment of an ‘acoustic' windscreen which reduces the transmission of noise.

A reduction in wind noise around the A-pillar has been achieved by changing the window sealing.

Qashqai customer research has shown that they love the blend of solidity and agility, but some small but significant changes have been made to the suspension tuning to further improve ride comfort and responsiveness.

NEW PÚRE DRIVE 129g VERSION

A weight reduction programme, the adoption of aerodynamic wheel covers, combined with the blanking of the fog lamp sockets, the fitment of low rolling resistance tyres and the lengthening of the final drive ration have all combined to reduce the Qashqai's CO2 from 137 to 129g/km.

'When Qashqai was launched in Europe in 2007, we were optimistic customers would recognise that it offered an alternative to the traditional hatchback or compact SÚV. However, we had to increase production to meet demand and two-and-a-half years later, demand hasn't relented. Qashqai has been key at reinforcing Nissan's position as an innovator in the European market. The updates to Qashqai make it even more attractive and will continue to bring new customers to Nissan for the first time,' said Simon Thomas, Nissan's European Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing.

Source - Nissan

NISSAN IN EUROPE LAUNCHES QASHQAI DESIGN COMPETITION

Impress Rashid & Lazarides by designing your way out of a tight parking space

Nissan in Europe in partnership with design website Designboom.com have launched an international design competition where participants will be invited to design a car park built around Nissan's iconic car the Qashqai'.



Acclaimed international designer Karim Rashid a member of the judging panel said:

''Design is the marriage of personal artistic expression and practical human needs and desires. It is about shaping contemporary human experiences and shaping our future world, not about styling or appropriating the past. That is why I am supporting the Nissan ‘Think Outside the Parking Box' design competition, creating alternative designs of the parking space. Our lives are elevated when we experience beauty, comfort, performance, innovation, and utility seamlessly together. This is design, this is evolution, this is progress'



'There's a lot of talent out there at the moment, and I'm looking forward to seeing whether any of it has entered the ‘Think outside the parking box competition'.'

Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Marketing Communication General Manager, Nissan Europe commented:

'At Nissan we pride ourselves in challenging convention through design and with thiscompetition we want to encourage others to think outside the box by taking a symbol of urban toughness (the car park) and adding a stylish dimension. This approach is the essence of our crossover Qashqai and illustrates perfectly the urbanproof attitude.

We are pleased to have partnered with designboom for this competition and honored to have acclaimed designer Karim Rashid and Steve Lazarides completing the judging panel. Designers from across the world have already entered the contest with the hope of seeing their work used in a European media campaign later this year and we are looking forward to seeing the results.'

Each individual design entry must include an image of the Qashqai or part of it, and ideas may be delivered as videos, objects or illustrations. The competition is open to all budding designers over the age of 18 and to enter the competition entrants must register on www.designboom.com . The closing date for entries is September 27th 2009.

The winning design will be selected by a jury of experts in October 2009 and the top three entries will be used as part of a European media campaign with additional cash prizes of €5000, €3000 and €2000 respectively.

The jury is made up of famous names from the design and automotive worlds including internationally acclaimed designer Karim Rashid, and Shiro Nakamura who is Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer for Design and Brand Management at Nissan Motor Company Ltd.

All terms and conditions for the competition can be found on the designboom website www.designboom.com

Source - Nissan

A MILLION IN QASH

• ÚK-built Nissan Qashqai joins Millionaires' Row

• The original Crossover passes production milestone in record time



Sunderland, June 28, 2011: Staff at Nissan Sunderland Plant are today celebrating the production of their one millionth Nissan Qashqai, cementing its position as one of the most successful British-built cars ever.

The landmark vehicle was driven off the production line four years, six months and 23 days after production began on December 5, 2006. No other ÚK-built car has reached the million mark in such a short space of time.

The silver 2.0-litre diesel TEKNA Qashqai will now go on display at The O2 Arena in London and one lucky person will win the special car.



The Nissan Qashqai is easily the highest-volume car produced in the ÚK. Future Qashqai production will safeguard the jobs of 6,000 people at Nissan and in the ÚK supply chain.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, Nissan Vice President for Manufacturing in the ÚK, said: 'The Nissan Qashqai has been a phenomenal success since its start of production just four and a half years ago. Qashqai was a real crossover pioneer and producing one million in such a short space of time is a fantastic achievement, not just by staff at the Sunderland Plant, but also by the designers and engineers who developed such a popular car and our dealer network who have helped to generate such high demand.'

ÚK Business Minister Mark Prisk said: 'The Qashqai is a success story for both Nissan and the ÚK. With the millionth car coming off the production line, the Sunderland, Cranfield and Paddington workforce should take great pride in its popularity. It's great news that they will be able to build on their success with the recent announcement that the ÚK has been chosen to design, engineer and build the new Qashqai model.'

Paul Everitt, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: 'The ÚK is home to some of the world's most productive automotive facilities making cars that are in demand across the globe. Landmarks such as today's announcement from Nissan serve to reinforce this, demonstrating the importance of manufacturing to our economy and its contribution to an export-led recovery.'

Manufactured on Line 1 at Nissan Sunderland Plant, the Qashqai has been one of Nissan's most successful products to date. A third shift was launched on Line 1 in June 2008 to meet demand for Qashqai, allowing 24-hour production to take place at the factory. This was withdrawn in January 2009 in response to the global financial crisis, then reinstated in May 2010. Since then the plant has been working round the clock to meet demand.

On average, 1,200 Qashqais per day are produced at the plant, or one every minute that the production line is working. More than 80 per cent of Qashqai production is exported to 97 markets worldwide from the Port of Tyne.

The Qashqai is firmly established as one of the ÚK's Top 10 best-selling cars, and was the fourth best-selling model in the C-segment across Europe in the 2010 Fiscal Year. Its top five markets were the ÚK, Italy, Germany, Spain and France. The car's many accolades include top ranking for four consecutive years from the ADAC breakdown organisation in Germany, one of Europe's most demanding quality surveys.

Nissan Sunderland Plant also produces the Note mini-MPV and the Juke compact crossover on Line 2 of the factory. The plant will manufacture the 100% electric Nissan LEAF from 2013.

Two other models have previously passed the million production mark at Nissan Sunderland Plant - the Nissan Micra (2.3 million units produced from 1992-2010) and the Nissan Primera (1.4 million units produced from 1990-2007).

Source - Nissan