The Nissan Kicks was first unveiled as a concept vehicle at the 2014 São Paulo Auto Show, before making a debut locally in 2016.
Underpinning the new Nissan Kicks is the company’s V platform, that is shared with the Nissan Note and Almera. Visually, the Nissan Kicks features a more ‘traditional’ design as opposed to the futuristic looking Toyota C-HR, which Nissan aims to challenge.
Despite being a cheaper alternative to the Nissan Juke, the Kicks does feature some unique design elements, like the floating roof and flared wheel arches. Up front, Nissan has grafted on the company’s signature V grille. Speaking of the Juke, the Nissan Kicks gets a longer wheelbase than the former, coming in at 2,620 mm. Even the length is 175 mm longer than the Juke.
Power comes from a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that does 114 PS and 152 Nm in the Brazilian guise. For other Latin America markets, the same engine does 119 PS and 149 Nm. Power output is lower for the Brazilian market because Nissan have fitted a petrol/ethanol flex-fuel system. Brazilian buyers will receive a Xtronic CVT that sends drive to the front wheels, while other Latin American markets can also choose a five-speed manual.
Back home, Edaran Tan Chong Motor’s sales have been rather abysmal. Only 1,555 units were sold in January, as pointed out by our friends over at Carlist.my. That figure is a big drop from the 4,804 units sold in December 2016. We understood that ETCM is keen to introduce the Kicks locally, in order to take a slice of the competitive and growing compact SUV segment. Expect a 2018 debut, soonest.
