Nissan Kicks will go up against Hyundai Creta and is expected to be priced at around Rs. 9.5-14 lakh (ex-showroom)
Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd is all set to unveil its Kicks premium SUV tomorrow and it will go on sale in the first month of 2019. The Japanese manufacturer has been teasing the Kicks for several weeks and in the latest teaser the signature V motion front grille with Nissan badge positioned in the middle has been showcased while the entire SUV is blacked out except for the tail lamps.
The Kicks SUV has been a long time coming for India and in fact it made its global debut as a concept in 2014. The production model was introduced for Brazil customers two years later after becoming the official vehicle for Rio Olympics. The India-spec kicks will have some key differentiations compared to the global model.
The exterior stays identical though as the Kicks, designed by Nissan Design America (NDA) in California and Nissan Design America (NDA-R) in Brazil, has U-shaped chrome slat protruding in front, slim sweptback headlamps, large air dam, muscular front and rear bumpers, smooth flowing lines, horizontal LED fog lamps, prominent wheel arches, blackened A and C pillars, floating roofline, etc.
The India-bound Kicks is based on the cost effective M0 platform as the Terrano or Duster that has been on roads for over six years, as opposed to the V platform. Moreover, it will likely have more interior and boot volume compared to the international version.
Inside the cabin, there will be upmarket features such as an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Sat-Nav, steering integrated controls, cruise control, push button start/stop, reverse parking camera, large colour MID, automatic climate control and so on.
A slew of safety features will be on offer including ABS, multiple airbags, EBD, ESP, Creep Control and Hill Start Assist among others. While the Brazilian Kicks uses a 1.6-litre four-cylinder flex-fuel engine, India will likely continue to have the same 102 bhp 1.5-litre petrol and 108 bhp 1.6-litre diesel units from Terrano with five-speed petrol MT, petrol CVT and six-speed diesel MT choices.
Expect the five-seater SUV to be priced at around Rs. 9.5 lakh to Rs. 14 lakh (ex-showroom) to rival Hyundai Creta, Tata Harrier and Renault Captur.