One of the major successes of British motor manufacturing, the Nissan Qashqai has achieved a significant landmark, with the production launch of the third generation of the vehicle at the Sunderland plant.

Such is the success of the Qashqai that since its launch 14 years ago, one in five cars built in the whole of the UK have carried the badge of the segment defining crossover.

Since the launch of the original model in 2007, Qashqai has broken record after record. It was the fastest UK car to reach one million, two million and three million units built, and more than 3.5 million have now been produced in Sunderland – about a third of the plant's all time total. Those numbers make the Qashqai the highest-volume car made in Britain.

"Sunderland Plant is built on 35 years of manufacturing excellence, and from the skills and expertise of our world-class team comes a car for the future,” said Alan Johnson, Vice President for Manufacturing in the UK.

"More than 3.5m customers have chosen a Qashqai made in Sunderland since it went on sale in 2007, and the third generation model delivers the new levels of technology, design and performance that people have come to expect from the original crossover.

"Qashqai is a huge part of not just the heritage of our plant, but of the entire UK car industry. It pioneered the crossover segment, and each new model has increased its popularity with our customers.

"I am confident that the third generation, made with pride by the team here in Sunderland, will continue that success story."

The Japanese company have made a significant £400m investment in the Sunderland plant to ensure the future of the Qashqai, this includes a scrap recycling system which allows the marque to become the first model built mainly from aluminium.

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