Nissan today announced its new Qazana concept car – a smaller brother to the Qashqai crossover. The Qazana will morph into a production car in 2010 and the new small crossover will be manufactured in the UK’s Sunderland factory, securing 1100 jobs according to Nissan.
The Qazana will be the centrepiece of Nissan’s stand at the 2009 Geneva motor show. It’s lower slung than the Qashqai, but retains five doors the rear two being back-hinged suicide items.
Nissan Qazana: the production car
The Qazana will take over from the Micra, which will no longer be built at Sunderland from 2010. Nissan says the Qazana was designed and developed in the UK and represents around £57 million of investment.
Trevor Mann, Nissan manufacturing senior vice president, said: ‘The difficulties currently facing the car industry have been widely documented, and Nissan has not been immune. As a result we have had to make some difficult decisions, but the reason we have done so is to secure a long and positive future for the plant. Qazana points the way to that future and gives an indication of the unique and exciting car we will be producing in Sunderland next year.’
Nissan’s other Geneva show cars
The Qazana is the big news at the Geneva show on 3 March, but other highlights include the European debut of the 370Z coupe, Cube city car, Pixo city car and revised X-Trail.
>> This story was first published last week. But Nissan helpfully didn’t release any photography until today!