Nissan Kicks Expected To Launch In January 2019; Will Rival Hyundai Creta

Expect the Kicks to share engines with the Renault Duster, but be a more premium offering

Nissan has plans to introduce more products in the Indian market and at shorter intervals than before. And now, we know that one of the first products it's going to launch in the country will be the Kicks SUV. It will be a compact SUV that will rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta and Renault’s Duster-Captur duo. While the Japanese carmaker is yet to officially reveal the launch timeline, we expect the India-spec Kicks to be showcased by the end of 2018 followed by a launch in the first quarter of 2019.

The Kicks that is sold in the global market is based on Nissan’s V platform, which it shares with the Micra hatchback. But in India, we expect Nissan to build it on the B0 platform. As a result, the Kicks for the Indian market should be bigger than the one overseas. For reference, the US-spec Nissan Kicks has an overall length of 4295mm and width of 1760mm. But one of the newer SUVs built on the B0 platform, the Renault Captur, is 4329mm long and 1813mm wide.

The Kicks will be a premium Nissan offering, so we expect some features from Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility (IM) framework to trickle down to the new SUV. Some of the features under the IM umbrella in the US-spec Kicks include automatic emergency braking, blindspot warning, rear cross traffic alert and around view monitor.

The US-spec Kicks also gets certain features that Nissan can easily offer in the Indian version as well like LED headlamps, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, climate control, push button start, tilt- and telescopic-adjustable steering, Nissan Intelligent Key, remote engine start and tyre pressure monitoring system.

Nissan also offers a host of personalisation options in the US for the Kicks under its ‘Color Studio’ scheme. It allows owners to not only have dual-tone paint options but also choose colours for ORVMs, door handles, rear bumper and hatch panel, front bumper lip, door accents, rear roof spoiler and even inserts for the wheels! And you can customise the interiors too with colour options available for air vents, door sill plates, floor mats and even the IRVM! How we wish Nissan brings its Color Studio to India as well with the Kicks. 

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Powering the India-spec Nissan Kicks should be the dependable 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder dCi diesel engine which churns out 110PS with 245Nm of torque. Being a premium vehicle, it might only be available in its more powerful state of tune, just like in the Captur. However, with the increasing shift towards petrol, Nissan might as well introduce the 1.5-litre H4K petrol engine which generates 106PS with 142Nm of torque. Along with the manual transmission option, the Kicks should ideally get the option of an automatic gearbox as well.

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Being a more premium offering than the Terrano, we expect the Kicks to be placed at the top in Nissan’s product portfolio. So expect its prices to range anywhere between Rs 9 lakh and Rs 14 lakh.

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