The Qashqai is an important nameplate for Nissan, the CUV that established the crossover in Europe. Rolled out in 2006 as a replacement for the body-on-frame Terrano, the unibody utility vehicle is known as the Rogue Sport in the United States of America while the mid-size Rogue is marketed as the X-Trail over in the Old Continent.
J11 is the codename of the second generation, launched in 2013 and updated in 2017. If you’re keeping count, that means 2021 is when the third generation will be unveiled. And here it is, ladies and gents, covered in camouflage while testing “on a secret test track.”
Our carparazzi have spied not one, not two, but three production-ready prototypes featuring a lower and sleeker front fascia than the outgoing model. It’s no secret the Qashqai will borrow some of the styling cues of the all-new Juke, along with a few concept influences.
Previewed two weeks ago by Nissan in the video at the end of this article, the Qashqai-slash-Rogue-Sport compact crossover was previewed even earlier by the IMQ Concept. Don’t expect a 33-inch asymmetrical display and a suspended center console, though.
What you can look forward to is a couple of hybrid powertrains. Renault has already gone down this route with the E-Tech range for the Clio, Megane, and the Captur crossover. A pure-electric version is out of the question because the Ariya is coming next year.
Expected to ditch diesel options altogether, the J12 Qashqai should feature at least one hybrid powertrain and probably a plug-in hybrid as well. The former should be based on the ePower system found in the JDM Note while the PHEV may be a Mitsubishi system.
Alliance partner Mitsubishi is the undisputed leader in this segment with the Outlander PHEV, which produces less than 50 grams of CO2 per kilometer in the WLTP testing regime. That figure is very important to Nissan and the Qashqai considering the 2021 fleet average emissions target of 95 grams per kilometer in the European Union.
On an ending note, the way the prototypes look under that camouflage leads us into believing that a reveal is due before the end of 2020. As such, the J12 would go on sale as a 2021 model. The European model will be manufactured at the Sunderland plant in the UK.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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