The Nissan Pathfinder has won Midsize SUV of the Year in the Automan Magazine awards, bringing another prestigious trophy to the Japanese automaker’s bulging showcase.

“For the Pathfinder to be awarded the title of Midsize SUV of the Year is a tremendous honor for Nissan,” says Samir Cherfan, MD, Nissan Middle East. “This is a highly-competitive segment, which makes the Automan award even more noteworthy.”

Automan is a major 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 Muscat.

Judges have noted that Nissan has achieved its goal with the fourth generation Pathfinder of not just satisfying the customers but attracting new buyers to the vehicle and the brand.

The all-new vehicle claims to have 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 5,936 Pathfinders leave the showroom floors during the 2013 financial year as opposed to 2,827 for the previous generation Pathfinder in financial year 2012, a 110 percent increase.

In the wider Middle East Pathfinder sales notched 6,393 for financial year 2013, a 121 percent hike on the 2,887 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 percent, in Qatar sales shot up by 74 percent and sales in Bahrain were up by 38 percent.