Nissan has released a teaser image of its big debut for the 2009 Geneva Motor Show: the Qazana Concept. The Qazana will preview a small crossover actually destined for production in 2010, and based on Nissan's description, we're expecting a small, five-door car similar to the new Kia Soul. The head-on teaser shot shows a sliver of headlight, one giant fog light that looks like it does the lion's share of illumination, a flared front fender and tiny side-view mirror. What we don't see are the concept's suicide doors that assuredly won't make it to production (they never do). The actual production Qazana will be based on the same platforms as the next-generation Micra and be built alongside that model in Nissan's Sunderland plant.



Nissan will have a host of new cars for Europe on display at the 79th Geneva International Motor Show.

Qazana Show Car
The star of the Nissan stand will be Qazana, a show car providing a good indication of the, as yet unnamed, compact car that will be produced at the Nissan Sunderland plant from 2010, safeguarding around 1,100 jobs.

Best described as a small Crossover, Qazana has been conceived to challenge conventional wisdom about what buyers of small five-door cars should expect.

The striking design is dominated by large, wide wheel arches and a lower shape which gives a feeling of strength, while the upper body is dynamic, assertive and sporty. Qazana is a five-door, with the rear doors opening forwards once the front doors have been opened, in the style of 'suicide doors'.

Qazana will reinforce Nissan's position as a pioneer of Crossovers, building on the success of Qashqai and the recently introduced Qashqai+2.

Trial builds of the production car will begin in early 2010 before its introduction on the Micra/Note line. There it will take up manufacturing capacity created when production of the current version of Micra ends later that same year.

The new model has been designed and developed in the UK and represents around £57m of investment. Its arrival takes the total investment by Nissan in the Sunderland plant to around £2.5b since 1984.

Trevor Mann, Nissan Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe, commented: "The difficulties currently facing the car industry have been widely documented, and Nissan has not been immune.As a result we have had to make some difficult decisions, but the reason we have done so is to secure a long and positive future for the plant. Qazana points the way to that future and gives an indication of the unique and exciting car we will be producing in Sunderland next year."