UK: Nissan Qashqai+2 to premiere at London motor show
Monday, April 07, 2008, AutomotiveWorld.com
An extended wheelbase seven-seater version of the Qashqai crossover is to have its world premiere at the London motor show on 22 July, Nissan Europe has announced.
Nissan's European Product Planning team claims to have identified a pool of potential customers who will be highly attracted to the forthcoming Qashqai+2, claiming that such buyers are not greatly interested in larger SUVs which offer seven seats. Its research shows that where the hugely successful Qashqai is mostly bought by those with one child at most, the Qashqai+2 will appeal to larger families.
The new derivative has been designed and engineered in Europe and will be built at Nissan's Sunderland plant.
In January this year, the facility in England's north east, which produced a record 353,000 vehicles in 2007, transferred production of Qashqai models built for export to Japan to the parent company's Kyushu plant to free extra production capacity for Europe. Sunderland will also add a third shift from June to meet demand for the model.
Apart from a bespoke grille, the new vehicle looks identical to the original at the front but every panel behind the A-pillar is new. The wheelbase, which has been extended by 135mm, measures 2,765mm, while the overall length is up 211mm to 4,526mm. The front windows are new, as are the (longer) rear doors and the tailgate.
So as to accommodate third row passengers, the roofline has been lengthened and re-profiled at the rear, adding 38mm to the overall height, taking it to 1,643mm. Headroom in the front and middle row of seats is claimed to have increased by 16mm and 10mm respectively, while kneeroom in the middle row is said to be improved by 23mm. Boot capacity rises by 90 cubic litres to 500, Nissan states.
Nissan will also make the panoramic glass roof that is a popular option on the Qashqai standard for the +2, extending it by 140mm in the process. Roof rails will also be a standard fit.
The extra length and equipment of the new long wheelbase model has raised the overall weight of the vehicle by approximately 100kg. Suspension settings have been revised to take account of the extra weight, while steering assistance has also been retuned.
As for powertrains, in common with the original, the Qashqai+2 will be available in front- or all-wheel drive formats, as well as with 1.6- and 2.0-litre gasoline engines and 1.5- and 2.0-litre turbodiesels.
Transmission options are to include a five-speed manual (1.6-litre gasoline), six-speed manual (2.0 gasoline and both diesels), six-speed automatic (4WD 2.0 dCi) and, uniquely in its class, Nissan claims, a CVT option on the 4WD 2.0-litre gasoline offering a choice between stepless changes or a manual over-ride with six fixed ratios.
"While some sales will come from current or potential Qashqai owners, we are confident the majority will be conquest sales from owners currently stuck with a conventional compact MPV: they appreciate the style and dynamism of the original Qashqai but need the extra seats of an MPV," Pierre Loing, Nissan Europe's vice president of product planning says of the new model's sales potenial.
Nissan Europe continues to set sales records, with the Qashqai much of the reason. Although its numbers do not include Russia, a particularly strong market for Nissan, ACEA recently reported a 62% year-on-year sales rise for the Japanese OEM across Europe in February.
Published on Monday, April 07, 2008
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