TOKYO — Nissan rolled out its new Dualis midsize crossover in Japan on Wednesday, with a relatively low price range of $16,080 to $19,970. The domestic debut of the Dualis follows the February launch of the model in Europe under the Qashqai name.
The company's home-market aspirations for sales volume are fairly modest. Nissan targets annual sales of 24,000 Dualis crossovers in Japan versus sales goals of about 106,000 vehicles in Europe. The midsize crossover will be launched in other markets, including Australia and South Africa, in the future.
The Dualis, which has the dimensions of a compact hatchback, gets a DOHC 2.0-liter inline-4 that delivers 140 horsepower and 147 pound-feet of torque. It is mated to the company's new continuously variable transmission with a six-speed manual shift mode. Four-wheel-drive models of the Dualis borrow the advanced all-mode 4x4 system featured on the Nissan X-Trail. Stability control is optional. Nissan said it used sophisticated Computation Fluid Dynamics analysis for the first time ever in designing the body of the Dualis. It resulted in a drag coefficient of 0.35, one of the lowest such figures for a vehicle in its class.
High-tech options include a sideview monitor that reduces blind spots and a rearview monitor.
The Euro-designed Dualis will be built in the U.K. and shipped to Japan.
What this means to you: This vehicle is a critical stepping stone for Nissan's strategy to tap into new markets at home.