The Sunderland-built Nissan Qashqai was the UK's best selling car in 2022, official figures show.
Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) shows 42,704 of the 'crossover' model were sold to UK motorists last year - the first time a British-made car has topped the list since 1998. And to mark the occasion the automotive giant created a special gold-wrapped Qashqai which rolled off the production line in Sunderland.
While built in the North East, the Qashqai is designed in Nissan's Paddington base and engineered at Cranfield. Last year alone more than 157,600 were produced at Sunderland, including the newest, third generation Qashqai that features Nissan’s e-POWER technology.
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Andrew Humberstone, managing director of Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd, said: ‘"This is a landmark moment for a landmark car and it’s great to see how the latest generation Qashqai has struck a chord with car buyers here in the UK. We’re absolutely thrilled to see this car’s increasing success over the last 16 years, and it’s a fitting tribute to the skills and talents of Nissan’s excellent design, engineering, production and sales teams all around the UK."
A recruitment campaign is underway at the Sunderland plant as Nissan is underway with its EV36Zero project that combine sbattery manufacturing, renewable energy supply and electric vehicle production. A new electric model is expected to be produced at the factory from 2025.
Alan Johnson, vice president of Manufacturing for Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK), added: "We’ve built three generations of the ground-breaking Qashqai in the North East and it has become the mainstay of production here for 16 years. We’re incredibly proud of its success and it’s great to see that our passion for building it is shared by car buyers across the UK and Europe, who love its combination of practicality, exciting design, unique technology and electrified efficiency."
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