Nissan Halts Development of Electric Qashqai

Nissan has shelved its plan to launch an all-electric version of the Qashqai at a time when the European market is seeing a surge of affordable electric vehicles from traditional rivals and new Chinese entrants, intensifying competition.

Nissan executives stated in 2023 that, as part of the company’s strategy to gradually phase out internal combustion engines in Europe, the Qashqai would eventually get a fully electric version, but no specific launch timeline was provided at the time.

Since then, Nissan has initiated a large-scale global restructuring plan and is in talks with the UK government over financial support for its Sunderland plant. Meanwhile, Nissan is also engaged in in-depth negotiations with China’s Chery Automobile. The two sides are discussing the possibility of Nissan’s Sunderland plant manufacturing vehicles for Chery’s brands, such as Jaecoo and Omoda, to improve the plant’s capacity utilization.

The shelving of the electric Qashqai project highlights a common challenge facing traditional automakers: fluctuating demand for electric vehicles, rising R&D costs, and fierce competition from low-cost electric vehicles produced by Chinese automakers.

For Nissan, the delay in launching the electric Qashqai could mean a further loss of competitive edge in Europe’s crucial compact SUV market. Last year, Qashqai sales accounted for nearly half of Nissan’s total European sales of 330,000 vehicles.

According to data from market research firm Dataforce, registrations of the Qashqai in Europe increased slightly year-on-year in the first five months of this year, rising from 64,864 units in the same period in 2025 to 68,889 units. In contrast, overall Nissan brand sales in Europe during the same period fell from 140,119 units last year to 124,884 units.

Currently, Nissan produces the gasoline-powered Qashqai and Juke at its Sunderland plant, along with the Leaf electric vehicle. In April this year, Nissan also announced that it would begin production of an electric version of the Juke at the same plant.

Regarding the plans for the electric Qashqai, Nissan did not directly respond in its statement, only stating that the company remains committed to expanding its “electrified” product lineup, which includes hybrid models.

Nissan stated that demand in the European electric vehicle market is experiencing “significant fluctuations” and that the company will adopt a more “balanced” electrification strategy.