Nissan has announced it is readying the arrival of an all-new name for the UK market following confirmation that it will launch the Nissan Kicks e-POWER small SUV on these shores for the first time.
Moreover, Nissan has also revealed it will build the Toyota Yaris Cross-rivalling SUV in the UK, alongside the Qashqai, Juke and LEAF, at its plant in Sunderland.
While the Nissan Kicks will be all-new to the UK and Europe, the nameplate is already well-established in markets around the world, including the US, Middle East, South and Latin America.
Now into its second-generation cycle, the Kicks will initially slot in just below the Juke in Nissan’s UK line-up. However, with the next Juke going all-electric only when it arrives in 2027, the Kicks will assume the role of Nissan’s petrol-hybrid small SUV offering instead.
Taller and more rugged than the Juke, the Nissan Kicks gets a more conventional SUV appearance with distinctive touches to include a wide-set grille and vertically stacked LED headlights, while the edges of the bonnet double as exaggerated wheelarches.
While the final UK specification version might differ to its international market cousin, Nissan will no doubt be hopeful the Kicks’ Jaecoo 7-esque profile will earn it a similar level of attention from the buying public when it does land.
While the finer details of the specification will be revealed nearer the time, Nissan has confirmed the Kicks as the latest model to come the firm’s acclaimed e-POWER hybrid technology.
Nissan Pledges £170m to Bring Kicks SUV to Sunderland
In the year it celebrates its 40th birthday, Nissan’s Sunderland plant will add a fourth model to its current production line in the north east of England.
Having shifted 1.8m units of the Kicks across the globe already, Nissan is pinning high hopes on its latest arrival.
Adam Pennick, Vice President of Manufacturing, Nissan Sunderland Plant, said: “I’m proud to welcome this new model allocation for Sunderland. It’s the perfect way to celebrate our 40th year as a world-class manufacturing site.
“We look forward to seeing Kicks e POWER hybrid going down the production line with our electrified line up of Qashqai, Juke and LEAF.”
The Kicks is one of two brand-new models on the way from Nissan in the coming weeks, the other being the Nissan PIXO, an electric city car based on the same platform as the Renault Twingo and the Dacia Spring.
.
- Nissan
- New Cars