(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The Nissan Pathfinder has won the 'Midsize SUV of the Year' in the Automan Magazine awards.
'For the Pathfinder to be awarded the title of Midsize SUV of the Year is a tremendous honour for Nissan' said Samir Cherfan managing director Nissan Middle East.
'This is a highly-competitive segment which makes the Automan award even more noteworthy.' Automan is the leading automotive publication in Oman. Its annual Car of the Year awards are held in high regard throughout the Middle East.
The award was received by Katib Belkhodja brand manager for SUVs and Crossovers in Nissan Middle East during the award ceremony that was held in 'On the Rocks' restaurant in Muscat.
Judges have noted that Nissan has achieved its goal with the fourth generation Pathfinder of not just satisfying the faithful customers but attracting new buyers to the famed vehicle and the brand.
The all-new vehicle has enjoyed ultra-high levels of popularity since its launch in 2013 with Pathfinder sales more than doubling for financial year 2013 compared to the previous 12 months.
The GCC countries a heartland for the Pathfinder and Nissan vehicles generally saw 5936 Pathfinders leave the showroom floors during the 2013 financial year as opposed to 2827 for the previous generation Pathfinder in financial year 2012 a 110 per cent increase.
In the wider Middle East Pathfinder sales notched 6393 for financial year 2013 a 121 per cent hike on the 2887 for the previous generation Pathfinder units in financial year 2012.
A breakdown of sales throughout the GCC states for financial year 2013 compared to the previous 12 months shows that while in the UAE and Kuwait sales more than doubled for Oman sales increased by 43 per cent in Qatar sales shot up by 74 per cent and sales in Bahrain were up by 38 per cent.
Cherfan said the Pathfinder is maintaining its impressive momentum in 2014.
'With fresh design and improved levels of standard technology the all-new Pathfinder is all about generating new wave of Middle Eastern buyers looking for a stylish premium and authentic SUV while staying true to the roots of this extremely popular vehicle' he added.
'The Middle East loves the Pathfinder and it's getting more popular by the day. It boasts of seven full-sized seats vast cabin space good fuel economy cruising comfort and more.
'We have said from the outset that our goal is for the current Pathfinder to not only be the best in its class but also to advance the entire SUV segment' said Cherfan. The Automan award joins some other prestigious honours for the Pathfinder.
It has been named 'Best Mid-size SUV' by Automobile TV in the Middle East 'Best Family Car' by Kelly Blue Book in the US and among the '10 Best family cars' by Edmunds.com and Parents Magazine both also in US.
Nissan aims to sell 8200 Pathfinders per year in the GCC in the next two years.
The Pathfinder's new unibody platform gave the designers an opportunity to create a more aerodynamic exterior without compromising headroom or cargo capacity. The vehicle also comes with reduced weight.
Exterior details include a wide chrome grille and large aerodynamic headlights hidden front windshield wipers chrome door handles and large rear combination lights. There's an available dual panoramic moonroof with sliding opening front panel and fixed rear glass panel.
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