Nissan Launches Kicks Crossover SUV In Europe

Nissan will launch its popular crossover Kicks with a hybrid drive on the European market and plans to manufacture it at a plant in Sunderland (Great Britain) after an investment worth 170 million pounds.

As Autocar reminds, this B-segment car was initially introduced in 2016 with a focus on the Brazilian market, while the second-generation model, launched in 2024, is currently being produced in Brazil, Japan, and Mexico. Although the Kicks model has not yet been offered in Europe, it is sold in most of Nissan’s other global markets.

The Sunderland plant currently produces the Qashqai, Juke and the new Leaf. It will also produce an electric version of the next-generation Juke, but plans for an electric Qashqai have been shelved, so the arrival of the Kicks will be a significant boost for the plant.

In Nissan’s range of SUVs with internal combustion engines, the Kicks will be positioned below the Qashqai and replace the internal combustion engine Juke, which has been on the market for seven years.

The international version is 4365 mm long, which makes it slightly longer than the Juke, with which it shares the CMF-B platform. However, Nissan has warned that a decision to start European production of the Kicks in the UK may not happen unless the government relaxes its zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV mandate) to a level acceptable to the company.

“A large part of this depends on changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulation,” said Max Messina, Europe director, after Nissan announced the investment in the Sunderland facility.

Nissan has not released detailed specifications of the European-market Kicks, but it is expected to be similar to the Japanese version. This subcompact crossover uses Nissan’s third-generation e-Power hybrid technology, where an electric motor drives the wheels, while an internal combustion engine serves as a generator. In Japan, the Kicks e-Power is equipped with a 1.4-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine with 72 kW/98 hp, an electric motor on the front axle that develops 105 kW/143 hp, an optional electric motor on the rear axle that adds another 50 kW/68 hp, and a lithium-ion battery. It remains to be seen whether the European market will get both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD, i.e., e-4ORCE) options, as well as a “Rock Creek” version aimed at adventure enthusiasts.

Nissan is also in talks with Chery about a deal that would see the Chinese giant build cars in Sunderland. This could result in the production of up to six models at the facility, which this year marks 40 years of operation and has produced more than 12 million cars so far. This is a positive development following the recent news of the shutdown of a production line in Sunderland. In a statement, British Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “The decision to build this new model in Sunderland is a strong vote of confidence in the UK’s manufacturing expertise and the future of its automotive industry.”

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