Nearly 18 years ago, the first Nissan Qashqai rolled off the production line in Sunderland, creating the crossover segment and sending shockwaves around the automotive world.
Fast forward to 2024, and with more than four million customers in more than 100 countries, the fastest-selling car ever in the UK has been upgraded once more – with a bold design and significant technology updates to enhance the customer experience.
The new Qashqai, electrified with Nissan’s unique e-POWER system, is now in production at its home in Sunderland ahead of its arrival in the coming weeks at Nissan dealerships across Europe and beyond.
The latest upgrades required a fresh £30m investment in the plant, building on Nissan’s total investment in the UK of £6bn.
The refreshed Qashqai arrives as Nissan continues to develop its EV36Zero vision in Sunderland – a blueprint for the future of automotive manufacturing, bringing together electric vehicle manufacturing and battery production, powered by renewables.
Adam Pennick, Nissan’s Vice President for Manufacturing in the UK, said: “We’re so proud to call Sunderland plant the home of the Qashqai. Having the number one team behind the number one crossover is a winning formula, and we can’t wait to see how much our customers enjoy the new design and extra tech.”
Instant popularity
Designed, engineered and built in Britain, the first Qashqai was produced in Sunderland towards the end of 2006, ahead of its launch in 2007. Its instant popularity saw production in the north-east reach record levels, with the plant recording the highest annual volumes in the history of the UK car industry, and Qashqai becoming the fastest UK-built car to achieve 1 million, 2 million, 3 million and then 4 million production units, spawning more than 20 competitors in the process.
Sunderland Plant is also home to the Nissan Juke and all-electric Nissan LEAF, where production supports 7,000 jobs in Nissan’s UK teams. That includes Nissan’s Design Centre in Paddington, London; the Technical Centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire; the manufacturing team in Sunderland; parts centre in Lutterworth; and sales and marketing team in Rickmansworth; as well as a further 30,000 jobs in the UK supply chain.
Since the third-generation Qashqai was launched in 2021, it has sold more than 350,000 units in Europe and continues to set the standard for crossovers. In 2022, Qashqai became available with e-POWER – Nissan’s unique and innovative electrified powertrain where the wheels are only ever driven directly by the electric motor – creating an EV-drive sensation. More than 120,000 Sunderland-built Qashqais with e-POWER are now on the roads.
The latest changes keep the essence of what consumers love about the Qashqai, while enhancing its strengths and adding even more intuitive and convenient technology.
Advanced systems
Changes have been made across Sunderland plant to enable production of the 2024 Qashqai, with investment in facilities for new panels, bumpers, paint colours, interior features, materials and trim. New Qashqai’s upgraded technology is now also integrated into the production process – including updated advanced driver assistance systems and the addition of Google built-in as part of the NissanConnect infotainment system, which makes a near-seamless interaction between a customer’s digital life and their vehicle.
Pennick added: “These are exciting times for Nissan in Sunderland. We are proud to be delivering new versions of both Qashqai and Juke to our customers while also preparing our plant to go all electric, as part of our ground-breaking EV36Zero project.”
UK pricing announced
Nissan GB has also announced pricing for the new model, which will start from £30,135 and is available with a mild hybrid petrol engine or Nissan’s unique e-POWER technology.
e-POWER uses a pure electric motor with direct drive to the wheels to deliver instant, high torque and a linear response. It offers drivers the sensation of driving an EV without having to think about charging – an ideal stepping-stone for customers who aren’t quite ready to make the switch to 100% EV yet.
All models feature significant interior and exterior design changes, including a bigger 12.3” infotainment screen and uplifts to interior materials quality. Google Automotive Services and upgraded Around View Monitor technology are also added to most models, together with enhanced exterior lighting and updated alloy wheel options.
Another new addition to the Qashqai line-up is the N-Design grade (from £34,845) featuring bold design upgrades and unique aesthetic touches. On the exterior, the lower body portion below the doors and the wheel arches are body-coloured on N-Design. There are also unique, all-new 20″ alloy wheels which bring added on-road presence.
The refreshed Qashqai is also the first vehicle in Nissan’s European range with the suite of Google built-in, which makes a near-seamless interaction between a customer’s digital life and their vehicle.
The updated Qashqai is available with Google Maps and, once signed in with a personal Google Account, drivers can access their favourite locations and points of interest. This reduces the dependence on a mobile phone and cellular phone network. Over-the-air updates ensure the map information is always current.
One of the most commonly used features on the Qashqai – Around View Monitor – has been significantly upgraded and now features a 3D function which allows the driver to see the car not only from above but also from one of eight different external camera viewpoints. This helps the driver visualise the car from the front, rear, sides or corners to potentially identify any unseen exterior hazards.
Additionally, a feature known as “invisible hood view” allows the driver to see the position of the front wheels as if looking through the dashboard and engine bay, helping drivers to precisely manoeuvre in tight locations, such as multi-storey car parks where there are concrete kerbs which could damage a wheel.
This view uses machine learning to create the image based on what the front camera can see in front, with the wheels super-imposed onto the view to give a sense of perspective.
Diana Torres, Managing Director of Nissan GB, said: “The original Qashqai pioneered the crossover vehicle category that is so popular with customers today and, over the last 18 years, it has become a hugely successful icon of the UK motoring industry.
“Its unique combination of design, performance and technology ensures it stays ahead of rivals and these latest upgrades will reinforce its place as one of the nation’s favourite new cars to buy.”
