Sunderland-built Nissan Qashqai was UK's best-selling car in 2022 - here's how many were bought

Figures released today, Thursday, January 5, by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders confirm that a total of 42,704 new Qashqais were driven off dealership forecourts across the UK in 2022.

To celebrate the achievement, an exclusive gold-wrapped Qashqai was created in honour of the 7,000 Nissan employees from around the UK that have contributed to its success.

‘A landmark moment for a landmark car’

Three generations of Qashqai have been on sale in the UK since it was first launched in 2007, all of which have regularly appeared among individual month’s best-seller lists, but this is the first time it has been the year’s best-selling car overall, and the first time a Nissan has topped the annual sales charts.

Andrew Humberstone, managing director of Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd, said: ‘‘This is a landmark moment for a landmark car and it’s great to see how the latest generation Qashqai has struck a chord with car buyers here in the UK.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to see this car’s increasing success over the last 16 years, and it’s a fitting tribute to the skills and talents of Nissan’s excellent design, engineering, production and sales teams all around the UK.”

‘We’re incredibly proud of its success’

Alan Johnson, Vice President of Manufacturing for Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK), is the top man at the Sunderland plant. He added: “We’ve built three generations of the ground-breaking Qashqai in the North East and it has become the mainstay of production here for 16 years.

“We’re incredibly proud of its success and it’s great to see that our passion for building it is shared by car buyers across the UK and Europe, who love its combination of practicality, exciting design, unique technology and electrified efficiency.”

Qashqai has been a remarkable success story for Sunderland throughout its history.

The Wearside-built crossover accounts for one in five built in Britain since its launch and the Sunderland plant has turned out almost 3.8 million Qashqai since 2007.

Built on both lines at the plant, Qashqai is now in its third iteration. The 2007 original was replaced in 2014 and the current version was launched in 2021.

More than three million Qashqais have been sold in Europe.