Malawians on Friday embraced the all-new Nissan Qashqai in style at a colourful ceremony in the commercial capital Blantyre where the 2014 model—the latest version—was handed over to tea estate worker Harry Assima.
Assima, a tea estate stock controller won the compact cross-over during the Goal of the Tournament Competition of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations for which Nissan is the official automotive sponsor. He correctly voted for Ghana’s Christian Atsu goal as the Goal of the Tournament, beating 16,000 other entrants.
“It’s a dream come true! Here’s to style and elegance, the Nissan QashQai is here and I own one!” cried Assima as he revved up his trophy machine while invited guests, who included the Mayor of Blantyre City Noel Chalamanda looked on, smitten by admiration.
Assima who was accompanied by his wife, a Malswitch employee and the rest of his family then test-drove his new car around the gardens of Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel to confirm his newly-found status with the SUV, which costs in the regions of K30 million.
Nissan Malawi Dealer Principle Ian Bartlet said the launch of QashQai in part of the Nissan Group’s five year business strategy, Power 88 Plan which aims at increasing Nissan’s market share and profitability globally by 8 percent.
Senior Manager Corporate Communications for SSA Nthabiseng Motsepe said Nissan has identified Malawi as the new growth frontier and an integral part of the Power 88 plan.
“Together with our partners, we’re confident that we will be number one car dealership in Malawi. We believe the new Qashqai will play a major role in taking us to the top,” said Motsepe.
For his part Nissan Malawi Marketing and Sales Manager Yamikani Mbawala said the new Qashqai was designed with the needs of Malawians in mind.
“We believe the Qashqai is particularly suited to the needs of Malawian motorists who need a high-quality vehicle with the practicality and versatility of an SUV matched by the compact proportions and ease-of-use of a hatchback. It is the embodiment of ‘innovation that excites’ – the philosophy driving everything we do at Nissan,” he said.
Over the next 12 months, Assima will represent Nissan as brand ambassador using his Qashqai.
