Cheaper Nissan QASHQAI e-POWER ST-L coming
Sub-$50K version of Nissan’s unique range-extender small electric SUV will be rolled out in due courseThe 2024 Nissan QASHQAI e-POWER Ti is being released in Australia this month priced at $51,590 plus on-road costs, representing a $4200 price premium over its petrol-only Ti sibling and a $17,700 hike over the most affordable QASHQAI ST ($33,890 plus ORCs).
But the relatively high price point for the premium version of Nissan’s small SUV fitted with its innovative ‘electric-drive’ hybrid technology, which effectively makes it a range-extender EV, will be tempered by a more affordable QASHQAI e-POWER ST-L variant to rival small SUVs like the hybrid Toyota Corolla Cross and Hyundai Kona.
After launching it in a similar ‘top-down’ approach, Nissan Australia now offers three e-POWER versions of its larger X-TRAIL mid-size SUV (ST-L, Ti and Ti-L), and it’s confident the QASHQAI e-POWER will also strike a chord with buyers.
However, the managing director of Nissan Oceania, Adam Paterson, wouldn’t be drawn on specific sales forecasts at the launch of the first QASHQAI e-POWER.
“We’ll evaluate that as demand and needs grow,” he said of the possibility of a lower-specified version of the fully-loaded QASHQAI e-POWER Ti.
“If we’re certain there’s demand in the market, we’ll work harder to satisfy it. Moving that customer demand for electrified powertrains is something we’re constantly trying to understand.
“It remains to be seen where we will land with QASHQAI [e-POWER sales]. At launch we only have one grade available right now and remember with X-TRAIL there are three grades – ST-L, Ti and Ti-L.
“It’s probably a consideration down the road whether or not we extended the range, but what we did see with X-TRAIL e-POWER is that a lot of interest was really at top grade and top spec right at launch, and it’s still quite strong demand for that as well.”
However, given the fact Nissan was granted Australian Design Rule certification for both Ti and ST-L versions of the QASHQAI e-POWER back in August 2023, it appears to be a matter of when – not if – Nissan extends the line-up.
Nissan Australia’s general manager of product marketing, Warwick Daly, said that hybrid sales have increased from three to 10 per cent in the small SUV segment over the last two years and that the company will evaluate expanding the QASHQAI e-POWER portfolio “as the demand and the need comes from lower grades”.
Using the X-TRAIL e-POWER line-up as a guide, the $49,990 ST-L version is almost $5000 cheaper than the Ti, so there’s every chance Nissan could price its compact range-extending electric SUV in the mid-$40K bracket.
For reference, the new Hyundai Kona HEV is priced from $36,000 and the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid from $36,480.
For now, the flagship 2024 Nissan QASHQAI e-POWER Ti launches with all the trimmings, including a large panoramic glass roof, diamond-quilted leather-clad sports seats with massage functionality, a wireless phone charger and a trio of digital screens.
The Japanese-designed, UK-built small SUV is powered by a small three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that acts only as a generator to recharge its compact battery pack, and both energy sources connect to an invertor that powers a 140kW/330Nm electric motor exclusively driving the front wheels.
So the petrol engine has no connection with the driving wheels and Nissan says this results in a smoother and more powerful EV-like drive experience that consumes less petrol – 5.2L/100km to be precise.
Following its arrival in Australia in early 2023, the latest Nissan QASHQAI notched up 6614 sales last year, making it the Japanese brand’s fourth most popular model behind the X-TRAIL, Navara ute and the Patrol large SUV.
While it was comprehensively outsold by half a dozen rivals in 2023, including the GWM Haval Jolion, Hyundai Kona, Mitsubishi ASX, Toyota Corolla Cross and Subaru Crosstrek, Paterson noted that February 2024 was a strong month for the QASHQAI.
“QASHQAI had its best individual month since March of 2021 and was actually the best individual month for the current generation J12 QASHQAI since it’s been on sale in the market, so it’s very, very positive,” said Paterson.
He also pointed out that QASHQAI was the top-selling car in the UK in 2022, marking the first time in more than 20 years that a homegrown vehicle snatched the sales crown in Britain.
Check back here next Thursday (March 14) for our full review and video of the new Nissan QASHQAI e-POWER Ti.
Related: Nissan QASHQAI – What you need to know
Related: Radical new all-electric Nissan JUKE, QASHQAI and LEAF locked-in
Related: Cars that have changed their name
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
