Photo: X-Tomi Design
The Rogue Sport is an uneventful little car in Nissan's North American lineup, but its European equivalent is royalty. Over a decade ago, it opened up the family crossover segment there, forcing buyers out of their low-riding hatchbacks. And the 2022 Qashqai is a third-gen model which looks about as cutting-edge as a UFO.
It's been a week since its unveiling, and we're not surprised to see that renderings are calling for a Nismo version. Nissan's performance division was once looking like a rival to the Volkswagen R lineup, with models based on almost every type of car.
We're not sure they have the know-how and resources to develop such a car or if there's even a need for one, but we can at least appreciate this Nismo Qashqai created by X-Tomi Design. The Japanese brand has a certain style of factory tuning, where it usually fits pearl-white cars with black lower body kits and red stripes. Using these upgrades, the crossover becomes a lot sportier-looking.
Nismo almost became a big deal. The GT-R version was a potent supercar killer, but they didn't have put a hot hatch into production. Sedans like the Sentra Nismo lack that final layer of polish, while other Nismo-badged models from Japan just have body kits in combination with normal powertrains, often hybrid ones.
Thus, it's possible that the Qashqai Nismo will exist purely as an expensive appearance package. It's not like Nissan doesn't have access to powerful engines, like the 300-horsepower unit in the Renault Megane RS. But its European customers are more into value and comfort.
The next-gen Rogue Sport might actually be a better fit for the Nismo badge. Not only does it have "sport" in its name, but it also faces other crossovers with powerful turbo engines, such as the Mazda CX-30 Turbo. All this probably comes down to price and image, as nobody is going to pay $40,000 or more for a small Nissan performance crossover, at least not until it's famous.
We're not sure they have the know-how and resources to develop such a car or if there's even a need for one, but we can at least appreciate this Nismo Qashqai created by X-Tomi Design. The Japanese brand has a certain style of factory tuning, where it usually fits pearl-white cars with black lower body kits and red stripes. Using these upgrades, the crossover becomes a lot sportier-looking.
Nismo almost became a big deal. The GT-R version was a potent supercar killer, but they didn't have put a hot hatch into production. Sedans like the Sentra Nismo lack that final layer of polish, while other Nismo-badged models from Japan just have body kits in combination with normal powertrains, often hybrid ones.
Thus, it's possible that the Qashqai Nismo will exist purely as an expensive appearance package. It's not like Nissan doesn't have access to powerful engines, like the 300-horsepower unit in the Renault Megane RS. But its European customers are more into value and comfort.
The next-gen Rogue Sport might actually be a better fit for the Nismo badge. Not only does it have "sport" in its name, but it also faces other crossovers with powerful turbo engines, such as the Mazda CX-30 Turbo. All this probably comes down to price and image, as nobody is going to pay $40,000 or more for a small Nissan performance crossover, at least not until it's famous.
Google News