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'Qashqai' so hard to pronounce even Nissan is poking fun at it

Mon, 14 Apr 2014


In the US, there aren't a lot of vehicle names that are very difficult to pronounce. Maybe the Volkswagen Touareg might trip up a few people, but by and large, we've got it pretty easy. Our friends in Europe, though, have a bigger challenge, thanks to vehicles like the Nissan Qashqai. Yes, Qashqai.

Like the Touareg, the Qashqai draws its name from a nomadic people. While Nissan isn't making up words, then, it's still not an easy name to pronounce. Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson routinely calls it a kumquat, for example. According to Nissan, though, it's pronounced "Cash'kai".


To get its point across as the second-gen Qashqai, the close cousin of the US market Rogue, prepares to launch in Australia, Nissan set up a little event at a coffee shop. Customers would place their orders, only to have the spelling of their names butchered rather badly. On the other side of the cup, there's a message from Nissan and the Qashqai.

It's not a bad little campaign, and for those that still have no idea how to pronounce the crossover's name, it's a handy little tutorial on how to do it correctly. Scroll down for the video.



By Brandon Turkus


See also: 2015 Nissan Murano gets edgier, lighter for NY, Watch Formula Drift Championship leader Chris Forsberg drift a 1975 Datsun 280Z, Behold your 2015 Nissan Versa Sedan, America.