Nissan Kicks premium SUV is expected to offer a value-for-money package in an aggressive price range; will go on sale in January
Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd is preparing to launch a brand new SUV as part of a strategy to offer premium vehicles for domestic customers. Having been expected to make a debut for well over a year, the Kicks will finally go on sale in January 2019. A few days back, Nissan revealed official sketches of the premium SUV as well.
The Kicks made its global premiere as a concept in 2014 before the production version was introduced in Brazil a couple of years later. It has been spied testing a number of times in India already over the last few months and it will be officially revealed on 18th October as the India-spec version will indeed have changes compared to the global model.
Basically, the exterior will largely remain the same as the international version but changes are made underneath the skin. The SUV sits on the low-cost M0 architecture as the Duster and it is widely reported to have bigger proportions compared to the global-spec Kicks that is based on V-platform instead.
We can expect good interior space as well as a large luggage bay in the upcoming SUV. Nissan will likely stuff in a raft of features to make the Kicks equipment-rich to compete firmly against main rival Hyundai Creta while the use of quality materials and finishes would ensure an upmarket feel.
The highlighting features possible are an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and other connectivity options, steering mounted audio controls, sat-nav, automatic climate control, engine start/stop button, reverse parking sensors and camera, electrically adjustable wing mirrors, coloured multi-info display and so on.
Going by the spy shots, the interior will boast a range of premium features including an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, cruise control, push button start/stop, reverse parking camera, steering integrated controls, navigation, large colour MID, automatic climate control, etc.
The line of safety features that will likely be on offer are dual airbags, ABS, EBD, HSA, Creep Control, Brake Assist, ISOFIX child mounts, ESP and so on. In Brazil, the Kicks gets powered by a flex-fuel engine but India will expectedly opt for the familiar 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel motors as in the Captur.
The H4K petrol engine makes 108 bhp 142 Nm and is mated to a five-speed gearbox while the K9K diesel connected to a six-speed manual gearbox delivers 109 bhp of power and 240 Nm torque. The petrol version could offer a CVT transmission as option. With high localisation, the Kicks could be priced aggressively at Rs. 10-14 lakh (ex-showroom).
Nissan Kicks Images
