Nissan Adds Japan Plant to Boost Qashqai Output

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. will begin assembling its Qashqai small cross/utility vehicle at its Kyushu, Japan, plant to meet growing demand for the CUV, which is sold as the Dualis in Japan.

Dualis output will begin early next year, Nissan says, with an eventual target of 24,000 units annually.

Building the vehicle in Japan will allow Nissan’s Sunderland, U.K., plant, currently the only source of Qashqai/Dualis, to focus on supplying European markets.

Nissan says it invested ¥580 million ($5 million) in Sunderland in June to boost output, reportedly a 20% increase.

Since going on sale in Europe in February, Nissan has sold 58,058 Qashqais, a gain on initial projections, it says.

Some 9,466 Dualis’ have been sold in Japan since the vehicle’s launch in May.