Nissan will reinvigorate its ageing line-up by introducing three new models in the next 18 months. A new Nissan Qashqai and a new X-Trail are due to be revealed this year and an all-new electric SUV will take on Ford’s Mustang Mach-E in 2021.
The significant product overhaul comes at a crucial time for the Japanese maker, which has recently suffered dwindling profits and job cuts and is still reeling from the fallout from the arrest of former CEO Carlos Ghosn.
New CEO Makoto Uchida, himself barely a month into the job, is implementing a product plan with renewed vigour, ensuring the manufacturer’s global best-sellers are brought up to the class standard in good time.
Following the recently launched, second-generation Nissan Juke, three more new SUVs are at the core of the plan to restore sales to their previously strong position. The new Qashqai will be the main European focus, chiefly because the current car remains the most popular Nissan here even in its sixth year on sale. A total of 230,000 Qashqais were sold across the continent in 2018. It was also the fifth-best-selling car in the UK last year, although its sales have declined in other markets.
A number of newer rivals are catching up and stealing the Qashqai’s market share, a trend in the fast-growing SUV sector that’s only going to get worse as the current car ages.
Now planned for a September 2020 unveiling – almost certainly at the Frankfurt motor show – the third-generation Qashqai will be subject to a bold exterior redesign inspired by the smaller Juke and recent concepts such as the IMQ. The interior is expected to undergo a radical revamp, too – as prototypes for its 2020 X-Trail sibling suggest – with overhauled infotainment and a new dashboard design.
Autocar understands that the new Qashqai won’t move to a totally new platform. Instead, Nissan will adapt the CMF underpinnings found in today’s model. The biggest development – although it has yet to be officially confirmed – is that Nissan may not offer any diesel engines in the new model as it looks to put electrification at the forefront of its powertrain strategy.
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Yes, it is surprising the
Yes, it is surprising the Cashcow sells so well, given its dire reliability.
Biggest improvement will resolve the awful reliability
Might be a minor issue to the sales team but word is beginning to get round which will hurt the image of Japanese cars in general and the Qashqai particularly.
Other than that if it turns out like the Red one pictured then it'll be a big improvement, makes you wonder why designers take so long and are paid so much.
xxxx wrote:
"Take so long"?...ever heard of R&D, model year progression, LCI's?. What contributions to the Nissan future model portfolio have you offered us in recent months, that would have Nissan question their own staff?. None?...surprise, surprise. Fool.