Nissan Announces Qazana Crossover

As the beginning of the European auto show season nears, Nissan has whet our appetite with a very limited reveal of its Qazana concept, which will be the centerpiece of its display at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Very little is known about the Qazana, as Nissan has provided little more than a sketch and a few basic details. The vehicle will likely be a crossover and will slot below the European-model Qashqai SUV, which is built on the same platform as the Murano. The Qazana will be a five-door hatch, though the second-row doors will be rear-hinged. It appears that this is the vehicle that Nissan was referring to last summer when the company announced that a crossover will replace production of the Micra compact car with at its Sunderland, U.K., plant. The vehicle was expected to go on sale sometime in 2010 or later. Nissan says the Qazana will be low and sleek with wide wheel-arches, but little else has been revealed about the look of the vehicle. "The difficulties currently facing the car industry have been widely documented, and Nissan has not been immune," said Trevor Mann, Nissan's senior vice president for manufacturing, in an interview with CAR Magazine. "As a result we have had to make some difficult decisions, but the reason we have done so is to secure a long and positive future for the plant. Qazana points the way to that future and gives an indication of the unique and exciting car we will be producing in Sunderland next year." Joining the Qazana at Geneva will be the NV200, a smaller version of the NV2500, as well as the European debut of the 370Z, the Cube, the Pixo, and a new version of the X-Trail. Source: Nissan, CAR Magazine