[Nissan Qashqai News]

Fans in the United States will finally be getting the Nissan Qashqai, but the automaker has decided to rename their award-winning crossover Rogue Sport.

Though Canadians will still be getting the Qashqai under its original nameplate, those south of the border will be seeing Rogue Sports on dealership lots. Maybe Nissan is trying to market it as a smaller version of the ever popular Rogue.

A sensible name change since the Rogue Sport is sitting on the same Renault-Nissan CMF platform as the Rogue and they both share the same strut-front and multilink-rear suspension systems. Even the front facia and wheel design are similar.

The Rouge Sport is just shorter by 12.1 inches compared to the Rouge and has a 2.3-inch shorter wheelbase, meaning a smaller cargo area of 23 cubic feet, or 61 cubic feet with the second row seats folded down.

Powering the Rogue Sport is a 2.0 liter, 141 horsepower inline-four-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard with all-wheel drive as an option. There are no other powertrain options, but buyers can choose from three trim levels; S, SV, and SL.

Nissan has not announced the U.S. market prices yet, but Car And Driver is expecting to see the base model Rogue Sport start at around $20,000.

 

[NissanDriver]

Smart move since branding and all they did over the years to build up the Rouge's name can now continue to pay off, playing right into what people want out of the Rouge which is something sporty. Not nearly easy to push this when you have to start all over again with a new name and overall just a blank slate.

 

[Dualis]

And Rouge Sport is easier to pronounce than Qashqai. It may have sold well in Europe under that name, but to do well in North America I think they'll need to appeal to buyers who doesn't go for the unknown names.

 

[VeeQ]

But why are Canadians getting the Qashqai name and the states get the Rogue ?

 

[NissanDriver]

Odds are the Rogue does well in the US and Nissan wants to continue to leverage that, now about Canada, i'm not too sure but what i have noticed there are correlations between the Canadian and European automotive markets than either one of those markets to USA. Looking into that more you might find your answer.

 

[VeeQ]

Would make sense. I think the Rogue sounds better than Qashqai anyhow.. much simpler and will stay in your head. Qashqai sounds like a name most people would forget lol.

 

[Specv]

I don't think it makes sense at all. I think they should've maintained one standard name for the whole region of NA. Makes life much easier, and how can more people find us here if the name is Qashqai Forum. What about Rogue?!

 

[NissanDriver]

I don't think it makes sense at all. I think they should've maintained one standard name for the whole region of NA. Makes life much easier, and how can more people find us here if the name is Qashqai Forum. What about Rogue?!

But you have to remember how similar the Canadian market is to the Euro market, Canadian is more Euro than the US. There are many examples of this in the automotive industry. Not always will something that worked in Canada work in the US.

 

[VeeQ]

Pretty much that ^

It's always been like that. Unfortunately I can't think of any examples on hand. As for site name, I think it still works. If you're looking to be on a forum, you'll do your research and know to look for both Qashqai and Rogue.

 

[NissanDriver]

Scion is one good example. The Scion iA they sold in the U.S. is known as the Yaris Sedan in Canada. Without looking into it too much I can see how naming it the iA appeals better to the US Market than Yaris.

Although Canada and USA are neighbors the demographic make up is different.