Production of the 2017 Nissan Qashqai facelift, revealed at the Geneva show in March has begun in Sunderland, UK.

Europe’s best-selling crossover will be available with ProPILOT autonomous driving capability – which controls the steering, acceleration and braking in a single lane on highways during heavy traffic congestion and high-speed cruising – from spring next year.

Nissan believes that the new tech – plus improvements in design, interior quality and driving performance – will strengthen the Qashqai’s position as Europe’s best-selling crossover.

Made round the clock in Sunderland, the Qashqai is currently also the best-selling vehicle built in Britain, and is exported to around 100 European and global markets. It represents almost one in five of all British-made cars, and is Nissan’s most successful model ever in Europe.

Part of a £53 million investment in Nissan’s UK facilities, extra production capacity introduced last year has enable the Qashqai to be built on both lines in Sunderland. In the decade since the compact crossover was launched in 2007, 2.8 million units have rolled out of the plant, which also produces the Leaf, Juke and Infiniti Q30 and QX30 models. It’s the UK’s biggest car plant ever, with an output of 507,436 units last year.

GALLERY: 2017 Nissan Qashqai facelift