Nissan’s popular Qashqai compact crossover has sold 100,000 units in only nine months after launching in Europe – and demand in Middle East is following the same trend.

The model has exceeded sales forecasts in all markets since its launch in March, in markets such as Holland, Portugal and Austria, Greece, Slovakia and Norway.

The UK and Russia are the Qashqai’s two largest markets, but proportionately the newcomer is doing equally well in the Middle East, said an official spokesman.

“Today’s motorists have a wide range of requirements when choosing their SUVs, which is why Nissan has the largest range of SUVs in the Middle East,” said SUV brand manager at Nissan Middle East Abdul Ilah.

“An increasingly important factor for customers in making their decisions is fuel economy and the opportunity to take cars over all types of terrain; making the Qashqai an ideal choice for many,” he added.

Customer feedback shows that buyers like the Qashqai for bringing something new to the market, especially its strong, distinctive design which mixes the styling cues of a traditional hatchback and an SUV.

The Qashqai was designed and developed in Europe following extensive research of local market buying patterns and a deep consumer analysis of unmet needs among car-buyers.

Nissan Europe’s product planners identified an opportunity in the market to design and develop a vehicle which provided more dynamic design, without the perceived aggression of a compact SUV, yet maintained the elevated driving position which is popular, but not at the expense of driving enjoyment.

In May 2007, the car was awarded the maximum five-star rating for adult occupant protection from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), with the highest-ever score for any vehicle.

The 2008 Nissan Qashqai model boasts distinctive interior and exterior design, cockpit cabin concept and Nissan’s dynamic safety engineering. Its 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, 16-valve engine delivers 142hp/5,200 rpm with torque of 20.5 kg-m/4,400 rpm, coupled to Xtronic CVT transmission with speed manual-shift mode. Alloy wheels are fitted with 17-inch tires.

Main features include front fog lamp, Bluetooth, Xenon head lamps, auto air-conditioning with dual zone temperature control, 6-speaker audio system with 6-disk CD changer, rear parking sensors, intelligent key, fine vision instrument gauges, cruise control, illuminated steering wheel controls and rain-sensing wipers.

Nissan’s highly praised electronically controlled ALL MODE 4x4Ò system and a four-wheel drive is implemented to provide greater traction for safer driving and extra control in all weathers. Other safety features include side and curtian airbags and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC). – TradeArabia News Service