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Nissan Qashqai Production Reaches Two Million Units in Britain

Say what you will about Nissan, but these folks know how to take a risk now and then. Some fail, like the Cube, but most hit the nail on the head spectacularly. The Qashqai is definitely an example of such a car because it not only invented its own segment, but also sold so well that it kept the company afloat through tough economic times. Today, Nissan is celebrating the Qashqai the way it deserves and that's because a milestone sales figure has been achieved: two million units produced.
Nissan Qashqai Production Reaches Two Million Units in Britain 1 photo
Photo: Nissan France
The Nissan UK factory in Sunderland has been making crossovers for only eight years and if we divide the 2 million by that, we come to the conclusion that about 250,000 Qashqais are sold every year. This is an impressive number that some compact hatchbacks can't achieve.

That's not the whole story though, because the 2 millionth model comes hot on the heels of a very successful Mk2 Quashqai launched at the beginning of the year. This is not only a lot better looking than its predecessor, but also comes with some impressive optional tech, like a birds-eye view display that shows you everything around the car and more safety systems than the Space Shuttle.

As you can see from the photo, the two millionth Qashqai made was painted red. It also features the new n-tec grade and will be delivered to a customer in the UK.

Here's what Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe, had to say: “The Qashqai is helping Nissan to go from strength to strength in Europe. Two million customers can’t be wrong. This is further evidence of their trust in our brand. Thank you to all of our loyal customers and I congratulate all my colleagues in Sunderland for reaching this latest milestone. The Qashqai is one of 12 new models we have launched in the past 12 months in Europe, which has given Nissan the strongest and most cohesive line-up in our history.”

There are more Qashqais

The crossover is primarily a European affair. All UK-built Quashqais come from the Nissan Sunderland Plant's first production line, which also houses the Leaf. Since 2010, Nissan has been making them 24 hours a day to meet demand and says one model is now ready every 62 seconds. That's 58 crossovers per hour.

Total global production of the Qashqai now tops 2.5 million, with the first generation Qashqai also made in China and Japan. Starting in 2015, the new Qashqai will also be manufactured in Nissan’s plant in St. Petersburg for domestic sales in Russia.

Nissan expects that within about a year, the Qashqai will be Sunderland's biggest export, overtaking the Micra. This supermini was produced in exactly 2,368,704 examples for 18 years, between 1992 and 2010. The Micra has no chance of fighting back though, since it's currently made in Asia and will be moved to Renault's factory of Flins when the new generation is ready, in 2016.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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