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Hands down, Nissan is the most active automaker in the industry at the moment. In the fall, the Japanese manufacturer presented the next-gen Rogue, and it followed that up in December by announcing the arrival of a manual-transmission version of the compact Sentra, as well as the imminent debut of a majorly reworked Armada SUV. In January, it made available its new Versa for test drives, and just this week, the latest-generation Pathfinder and Frontier models took their turns in the spotlight. Not enough for you? Now the Japanese company has shown us first images of the next-generation model Qashqai subcompact SUV.
This explosion of new products is hardly a surprise, because at this time last year, Nissan was getting pummelled for its aging lineup, without question the oldest portfolio in the industry. So we were expecting all these new products, though maybe not in such concentrated fashion.
And we haven't yet talked about the Murano, another vehicle that is ripe for a redesign.
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Back to the next Qashqai model previewed today, which is actually the next-generation version destined for the European market. Logically, it presages a similar if not identical change for the model sold here in Canada (and in the U.S. as the Rogue Sport, recall).
Nissan's 15-second video shows a number of features. On the outside, we see headlights resembling those introduced with the brand's newest SUVs, as well as a roof in contrasting colours. Overall, the styling seems more aggressive and defined than the current version.
Inside, the interior features perforated leather for the seating, on which we can make out diamond-shaped patterns. The touchscreen of the multimedia system shows a menu that allows users to control the intensity of a massage function. Sounds pretty good.
On the dashboard, we see the same type of digital display we discovered when we tested the new 2021 Rogue last fall.
Of course, mechanically speaking, the European version is likely to show up with features that we won't see here. So we'll have to wait and see what's in store for the North American versions of the model.
We'll find out more on February 18, when Nissan unveils the next-generation Qashqai. We can expect the Qashqai to make its debut in Europe and then here at home later this year, which would give us a new vintage for 2022.
More soon.
