Nissan has announced that the three millionth Qashqai rolled off the Sunderland production line during 2017, helping to mark a successful year for the Japanese manufacturer.
Having been in production in the north-east city since 2006, the Qashqai was the best-selling crossover in the UK in 2017, with over 64,000 sold to customers on British shores.
The Sunderland plant produced 346,856 Qashqais last year alone, with more than two-thirds being sold on the continent.
This success with the mid-size crossover has helped the Qashqai become Nissan’s best-selling model in Europe to date, with the refreshed second-generation version currently on the market maintaining the model’s high standing in the bloated and very competitive SUV segment.
Europe sales for the Japanese manufacturer were up by 3.8 per cent in 2017, with sales markedly increasing in Russia (12.4 per cent), Spain (9.4 per cent) and France (3 per cent).
Chairman of Nissan Europe Paul Willcox said: "2017 was another record-breaking year for Nissan Europe, and 2018 has started the same way.
“The Qashqai’s achievement of reaching 3,000,000 vehicles produced in 10 years is a significant milestone, while the October launch of the new and eagerly awaited Nissan Leaf has seen record-breaking pre-orders of one every 10 minutes.”
Vice president of Nissan’s European manufacturing, Kevin Fitzpatrick, added: “Nissan’s Sunderland factory in the U.K. has celebrated many remarkable achievements, but in the plant’s 30-year history, there hasn’t been another car like the Qashqai.
“The Qashqai was the original urban crossover, and in the decade since we started production, the skill and expertise of our workforce here in Sunderland, combined with the enhanced design and interior quality improvements, have maintained the Qashqai’s leadership of the segment.”
Prices for the Qashqai start from £19,295, with the mid-size crossover available in five trim levels.
