Qashqai
Nissan’s Qashqai crossover has been voted ‘Used Car of the Year’ by used car pricing experts CAP – for the second year in a row.
The award is yet more recognition of the skill of the British workers who designed, engineered and build the Qashqai. The company has stylists working in Paddington, London, and engineers in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. The Qashqai is built in Washington, Tyne and Wear.
A panel of judges comprising of used car market and vehicle valuation experts at CAP said: “The Nissan Qashqai has created an entirely new ‘crossover’ sector and prompted other manufacturers to follow by marrying the practicality of a people carrier with the looks of a quality 4x4. By achieving this in a package that also offers economy, handling, strong build quality and reliability the Qashqai has become the perfect used car for our time.”
The panel noted that strong demand meant the Qashqai was always highly sought after by trade buyers and customers alike, meaning it depreciated slowly and outperformed the general market.
Launched in 2007, the Qashqai has broken out of its niche and has become a top-selling mainstream model, rivalling conventional family hatchbacks. It has become a permanent feature in the UK top 10 best sellers list.
The CAP judges said: “In late 2010 a serious challenger to the Qashqai entered the market. But this serious rival was simply the updated Qashqai and that is now becoming the dominant player.”
The double win from CAP comes on top of a similar award from leading consumer magazine What Car?, which named the Qashqai as its ‘Best Used Car 2011’ last month.
Jim Wright, managing director of Nissan GB said: “Cars that are desirable when new are still desirable when the owner comes to sell them on, especially if they have proven to be reliable. The continuing success of the Qashqai in the new and used car markets proves that the British motor industry can produce a winner, even in the toughest market conditions.”
The Qashqai range consists of two petrol and three advanced diesel engines. A new 1.6-litre diesel with stop-start technology is expected to open up the Qashqai to more company car drivers, who will benefit financially from its lower emissions.