2022 Nissan Qashqai detailed: Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV competition heats up with e-Power firming
18 Feb 2021 • 4 min read
Nissan’s crucial new-generation Qashqai small SUV has been revealed, and will take the fight to the likes of the Mazda CX-30, Toyota C-HR and Kia Seltos with hybrid engines, new looks and a tech-focused equipment list.
Expected to land in Australian showrooms in early 2022 given timing for the global launch has not yet been revealed, the all-new Qashqai line-up will be powered by either a 1.3-litre mild-hybrid engine or Nissan’s e-Power powertrain – at least in European markets.
Bigger, bolder new Nissan QASHQAI breaks out
Bigger, bolder new Nissan QASHQAI breaks out
February 18, 2021
Third-generation small SUV revealed with fresh look, tech aplenty and electrified powertrains
The all-new 2021 Nissan QASHQAI has made its global premiere following a long teaser campaign, presenting a fresh exterior design, more interior space and new technologies including electrified drivetrains.
Punctuated by a striking new LED lighting signature, the third-generation compact SUV follows in the wheel tracks of the second-generation Nissan JUKE released last year.
The 2021 Nissan QASHQAI will arrive in Australia in the first quarter of next year – before the larger fourth-generation Nissan X-TRAIL lands here around mid-year, and shortly after the larger-still fifth-generation Nissan Pathfinder lobs in early 2022.
But will that be the case in New Zealand? While Mitsubishi New Zealand wouldn’t confirm anything other than the fact that the standard ICE model of the new Outlander would be landing on our shores in the second half of this year, that timing gives us a strong hint that, unlike the US, we won’t be seeing the old PHEV in showrooms alongside the new one.
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Mitsubishi is so keen to keep a PHEV in the line up it will sell the current one alongside the new Outlander in the USA. Mitsubishi is said to be hard at work on the new plug-in version of the Outlander, with it expected to be ready around the same time the ICE-only version is set to debut in New Zealand, making it likely that there will only be a small gap between the local launch of the Outlander and the availability of a PHEV version. Or it is even possible that it will debut as part of the local launch line up.
Photo: Nissan
I don’t know which is the more dramatic news: that Nissan is selling a series hybrid in a major global model, or that Nissan somehow made an interesting crossover.
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I guess the second point isn’t fair. Nissan made the CrossCabriolet! What a gem. The first point is also not a huge surprise to devoted fans of modern Nissan engineering, all four or five of you out there.
When I look back on my writing career, I believe I will cite July 26, 2015, as the ultimate…Read more
The car in question is the new 2022 Nissan Qashqai, which we get as the Rogue Sport here in the States. It is a very bland, plain, uninspiring crossover that is elevated in this new generation by an optional series hybrid drivetrain.
Taiwan Just Snubbed The U.S.
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1st Gear: U.S. Sent Taiwan A Letter About The Automotive Chip Shortage And Taiwan Claimed It Didn’t Arrive
A brief catch-up: We know 2020 was a horrible year for the car market. Semiconductor chips, necessary to both the tech industry and the car industry, were hit with a shortage. Semiconductor suppliers favored the tech industry and not the car industry, and now with auto demand returning, car-producing Western nations are trying to get the semiconductor-producing nation of Taiwan to hook them up.
This has not been going all that great, as Taiwan really has all of the chips in its corner, if you don’t mind the pun. My favorite case was when Germany sent Taiwan a letter asking to sort this whole thing out, please, and Taiwan claimed it did not receive the letter. The story was great not only in that sending a letter seemed like such low effort, but also that Taiwan didn’t even acknowledge it. What a snub!