FRESH VIGOUR

Witnessing commencement of production of the new generation Nissan Qashqai at its UK plant was an immersive experience

- ABHAY VERMA

The Nissan Qashqai may not have made its way to India yet, but the premium crossover has been doing excellently for the Japanese major, especially in markets like the UK and Europe. Besides pioneering the crossover segment nearly two decades ago, the Qashqai has also been the fastest selling car ever in the UK, which is a huge deal. That’s besides Nissan having moved over four million units of the Qashqai since its launch in 2006, which have been sold in more than 100 countries. The Qashqai was first manufactured at Nissan’s UK plant in Sunderland, from where it is exported and sold locally as well.

TURBOCHARGED was invited to the Nissan’s Sunderland plant in the UK to witness commencement of production of the new generation Qashqai. While getting to witness cars manufactured in India, for the Indian market and exports is something we get to experience rather frequently, getting to witness production of a premium automobile and going behind the scenes at one of its manufacturer’s most advanced factories abroad was quite an opportunity. This is also important considering that Nissan UK has invested 30 million GBP (₹300 crores approximately) in its Sunderland to start manufacturing the all-new Qashqai, which it is confident will herald a new era for the crossover.