The all-new Qashqai, the car that redefines the crossover sector, has been honoured with one of the motoring industry's highest accolades - the What Car? Car of the Year Award for 2014.
Like its multi-award-winning predecessor, the all-new Qashqai has been designed, engineered and will be built in the UK. It saw off strong competition to win both the Small SUV category, and the overall 2014 What Car? Car of the Year title.
The What Car? judging panel selected the Qashqai 1.5 dCi Acenta 2WD as its favourite model in the new range, praising its refinement, agile driving experience and low running costs. The panel also highlighted the new Qashqai's comfort, refinement and space, along with its clean engine range and sub-100g/km CO2 emissions.
What Car? Editor-in-Chief, Chas Hallett added: "The new Qashqai brings excellence and polish to a class of cars that was already brimming with talent and tempting buys. It has an interior worthy of its stylish looks, and it makes a fine family car. It's fantastic value for money and a very worthy Car of the Year.'
Jim Wright, Nissan Motor GB Managing Director, commented: "We're thrilled that What Car? has named the new Qashqai as its 2014 Car of the Year. A huge amount of effort has gone into the design and engineering of the new car, and we're all extremely excited about creating the template for the second-generation crossover.
"As the What Car judges discovered for themselves, the new Qashqai is an unbeatable package with high equipment levels, great refinement and comfort and incredible attention to detail."
The new Qashqai has just been launched in Malta and will be starting at €22,500. Building on the strengths of the ground-breaking original, the new model features a sector-best suite of technologies that bring maximum convenience, comfort and driver engagement to the crossover segment.
In a further cause for celebration, the new Nissan X-Trail scooped the What Car? Reader Award. It was voted the most-anticipated new car of 2014 by visitors to http://www.whatcar.com/ ahead of models such as the Jaguar F-Type Coupe and Porsche Macan. The new X-Trail goes on sale in Malta towards the end of 2014.
This success comes as Nissan's Sunderland Plant celebrates its latest industry benchmark after making more than one million cars in two years.
The 2013 annual volume of 501,756 vehicles follows the 510,572 production in 2012 and means that, in total, 7,463,187 Nissan vehicles have been manufactured in Sunderland since 1986.
More than 286,000 of the cars built in Sunderland in 2013 were Qashqais, now in its eighth year of production and still the best-selling crossover in Europe. Total Qashqai production in the UK now stands at 1,752,232.
Nissan’s Qashqai is long established as the leader in the crossover market. It appeals to both C-segment drivers looking for additional style, technology and excitement as well as downsizing buyers seeking greater efficiency. The all-new Qashqai is set to enhance Nissan’s crossover leadership position.
Premium technology, second generation crossover design and enhanced dynamics all combine to form the backbone of the new Nissan Qashqai.
The striking new Qashqai is 47mm longer than the current model and fractionally lower and wider, giving it a sleek, poised stance while maintaining the crossover style, compact dimensions and raised driving position. Distinctive features - including a clamshell-style bonnet - lend a premium appearance while retaining the Qashqai’s strong visual DNA.
As with any new Nissan, the Qashqai is full of innovative technology. It offers drivers a comprehensive suite of advanced technology features enhancing every aspect of driving. Nissan’s Safety Shield technologies now incorporate Forward Emergency Braking, Driver Attention Alert and Traffic Sign Recognition along with several other vital driver aids, while Intelligent Park Assist takes the stress out of urban manoeuvres. The new Qashqai is designed to make premium technology more accessible than ever.
The innovation continues with the new Qashqai’s powertrain range, which is wider and more efficient than evefr. Every engine uses a turbocharger to reduce capacity, emissions and fuel consumption while maintaining excellent performance with class-leading CO2 emissions - from only 99g/km. Efficiency is further enhanced by an extensive mass reduction programme, resulting in 40kg weight loss on some models despite the extensive addition of new equipment.
Inside, a dramatic rise in material and design quality adds significant interior appeal to the Qashqai package. Versatility also remains a core crossover attribute; Nissan’s engineers have devised innovative ways to make the new Qashqai fit into drivers’ lives. Delivering greater occupant space and a larger luggage capacity enhanced by a variable floor system, the new Qashqai even offers space to store the parcel shelf when not in use.
Designed and engineered in Europe, for Europe, the new Qashqai has been created by Nissan’s experts at Nissan Design Europe (London, UK) and Nissan Technical Centre Europe (Cranfield, UK and Barcelona, Spain), and it will be built in Sunderland, UK. Extensive input has also come from Nissan’s designers and engineers in Atsugi, Japan.