mmarshall

Although the article doesn't (exactly) say this, it seems fairly clear to me why Nissan is doing this. Although, size-wise, they currently have the Juke to compete with Honda's new HR-V and Mazda's upcoming CX-3, the Juke's controversial styling and somewhat cramped interior limit its sales appeal somewhat. The Qashqai, being essentially a downsized Rogue, should give Nissan a more conventional competitor in the subcompact-SUV series. It has also been quite popular in Europe (Top Gear magazine seems to have at least some respect for it).



http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/13/n...#slide-1418343


Nissan will be expanding its crossover range here in the United States, introducing the popular European-market Qashqai, alongside a hybridized version of the Rogue. Nissan's Kyushu, Japan factory, meanwhile, will churn out 100,000 gas-powered Rogues to capitalize on hot demand here in the United States. The Kyushu move, at least, seems like a smart one, considering just how hot the compact Rogue is.

"We haven't hit the ceiling [on Rogue] yet. We have more opportunity there if we can get our dealers more," Fred Diaz, Nissan's senior VP of sales and marketing, told Automotive News. Amping up production in Kyushu will finally mean the end of the first-generation Rogue, though, now known as the Rogue Select. Somehow, we doubt many tears will be shed.

AN cites "two sources familiar with Nissan's future product" in its report on the Qashqai and Rogue Hybrid, although both moves are a bit strange at first glance. Both vehicles play in the same part of the market, and are both based on the Renault-Nissan Common Module Family platform. As for the Rogue Hybrid, well, we know what happened the last time Nissan tried to add an electric motor and battery pack to one of its crossovers. Plus, we've heard this rumor before.

Nissan, though, seems to think both moves make a lot of sense. While the Qashqai and Rogue are closely related, the Euro-market model is smaller – 10 inches shorter and two inches narrower – making it less versatile, and it wears more handsome sheetmetal. Expect Nissan to field it as such, aiming at buyers that want a CUV for the lifestyle, rather than the versatility, Automotive News reports.

There's a lot less information on the Rogue Hybrid, aside from AN reporting that it will hit the market next year. As for potential powertrains, mum's the word. The gas-powered Rogue uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which is the same size as the gas-engine found in the dead-but-still-warm Pathfinder Hybrid. While we doubt it's as simple as a drag and drop, it seems like Nissan's most recent hybrid powertrain is the obvious choice for the upcoming Rogue.

Nextourer

The question is, "Is the Rogue Hybrid a full hybrid?" If it's a mild hybrid like the Pathfinder Hybrid, then what's the point?

mmarshall

I think the Qashqai is going to have more potential appeal than the Rogue Hybrid. However, the Rogue Hybrid, even of not a full-hybrid, may have some appeal to those who liked the Former Ford Escape Hybrid, which was dropped with the present version of the Escape and the introduction of the Ford C-Max (which is not really a crossover SUV, but a small people-mover).

Nextourer

Most likely. I saw a review of the Qashqai from CAR in Australia. They were also doing a demo of Apple CarPlay.

I doubt it. The Ford Escape Hybrid was a full hybrid with 4WD (ok AWD) which the Rogue Hybrid can't compare (if it's a mild hybrid). In addition, those that liked the former Escape Hybrid may flock to the RAV4 Hybrid coming for the 2016 MY. It's a full hybrid with electric AWD. No idea on specs (but most likely the Camry/ES/Avalon Hybrid setup since the NX300h uses that) and no word on mpg but between the NX300h and the Camry/ES/Avalon numbers, it's probably somewhere in that ballpark.

mmarshall

Yes, I agree, when the RAV4 Hybrid debuts, that will pretty much put the brakes on anything that Rogue is marketing at the time. Pricing, though, may also be a factor.....Rogues and Rogue-Selects have sold mainly on their low prices, and one would (assume) that would also include the hybrid. But you have a point that, even if the RAV-4 costs more, it will (likely) have a better hybrid system.....Toyota and Lexus essentially wrote the book on hybrids.

Nextourer

Is the Rogue Select still around? Wow. I thought it was only sold for a year. I don't think we have that model up there (We had the G35 selling alongside the Q50 for a while but it's no longer listed on the website). Also, the 370Z here had a massive $10,000 price drop on the base model (MSRP, not dealer special) so it's essentially the same price as a BR-Z Sport-Tech (equiv. to BR-Z Limited in the States).

mmarshall

The Rogue-Select, in American-spec, was essentially the old last-generation Rogue renamed when the all-new one debuted. Nissan's plans, at least in the U.S., were to sell them side-by-side for a year or so, then drop the Rogue Select by letting it go out of production (I don't know or remember the exact day when production stopped). There may (?) be some "new" Rogue Selects still sitting on dealer-lots that have never been sold, but my guess is that they are either all gone or almost all gone by now.

The old Rogue-Select, BTW, was quite popular in my Washington-D.C. area from its low price, which undercut several of its competitors, but I found it rather Ho-Hum, appliance-like, and unimpressive when I reviewed one. One of my neighbors bought a Rogue-Select a few years ago (ironically, trading in an Escape Hybrid for it, since we were talking about the Escape Hybrid). Well, she wasn't very impressed with it either, after a few years of ownership....she decided to trade it in a few weeks ago on a new GMC Terrain, which she not only likes more but also says it has more room for her two big Labradors.

Nextourer

Volkswagen did something similar in Canada with the CityJetta and CityGolf.

They were sold alongside the new 2005 Jetta & Golf for 4 or 5 years. They initially kept the same design but theyn were updated with new looks (basically almost like the Chinese version of the Jetta). They had quite a big discount (basically, instead of starting at $19-$23k, they were starting at $15-$17k, same as the Corolla, Civic, 3 etc). They all used the old 2.0 litre workhorse.

http://www.autos.ca/car-test-drives/...en-city-jetta/

Fizzboy7

From everything I've read thus far, the Qashqai (horrible name for America) seems too similar in size to the Rogue. I hope that doesn't mess with sales, as the Q looks pretty decent. If only Nissan can get a nicer grille going for all it's models.

Vladi

Don't want to sound like broken record but hybrid game in CUV segment will be affected once Outlander PHEV hits the streets of CA. It will definitely put the segment on its toes and push it toward affordable PHEVs in the future.

spwolf

did we get US pricing and govt incentives? Outlander PHEV is pretty nice, but it sells only in areas where there are heavy goverment taxbacks as it is very expensive on its own. It is not a Rav4 or Rogue Hybrid competitor in that sense.

mmarshall

Exactly. Mitsubishi, unlike Nissan, is not (currently) a major player in the American market, although, in the past, they have produced vehicles for other nameplates, primarily from Chrysler.