Nissan presented its new compact Crossover, the Qashqai, at an event hosted in Paris by Carlos Ghosn, Nissan President and CEO. The car will start selling in February 2007 and is mainly targeted for Europe.

The Qashqai represents the first new production vehicle to be designed at Nissan Design Europe (NDE) since its move to London in 2003. The development program was led by Nissan Technical Centre Europe based in Cranfield, England, with input from Nissan’s engineering base in Japan. QASHQAI will be produced at Nissan’s factory in Sunderland, England. The Qashqai will be exported to Japan, the Middle East and other Markets. The Qashqai will be named Dualis in Japan.

The Qashqai has four engine options, two diesel and two petrol offerings: –
a. The 1.6L petrol engine offers 115PS of power and 160Nm of torque
b. The 2.0L petrol engine offers 140PS of power and 200Nm of torque
c. The 1.5L diesel engine offers 106PS of power and 240Nm of torque
d. The 2.0L diesel engine offers150PS of power and 320Nm of torque

The Qashqai is about 100mm longer than a typical hatchback but 150mm shorter than a typical SUV. Similarly, it is taller than rival hatchbacks by between 100 – 150mm, yet is up to 130mm lower than an SUV.

The interior design of Qashqai will provide the driver a focused cockpit feeling. The deeply recessed instruments give a sporty feeling to the driving environment. However, the front and passenger environments have been designed to feel airy, spacious and relaxing.