Photo: Nissan
After being presented in concept form at the 2014 Sao Paulo Motor Show, Nissan has finally launched the Kicks subcompact crossover. Looks good, innit?
It had to look fab. Otherwise, the Kicks wouldn’t have been pushed by Nissan as the official car of the 2016 Summer Olympics, slated for August 5 to August 21 in Rio de Janeiro. Speaking of exterior design, the Kicks is a collaborative effort between the Stateside and Brazilian studios of Nissan. Thanks to Shiro Nakamura, the Nissan global design head honcho, the production model borrows cues from the concept.
Photographs of the interior will be released in May, but in the interim, we’re able to tell you that the Kicks is underpinned by the tried-and-proven Nissan V platform. Yes, that means the all-new Kicks has some technical bits and bobs in common with the Micra (K13) subcompact and the hatchback-shaped Note (E12). In the Brazilian market, the Kicks will be powered by a 1.6-liter flex-fuel mill paired to a 5-speed manual. The Xtronic CVT will be offered as an option.
The main competitors of the 2016 Nissan Kicks on the Brazilian market will be the Jeep Renegade (which is also built in Brazil), Honda HR-V, the India-built Ford EcoSport, and the Renault Duster, otherwise known as the cheapest crossover on sale on the Old Continent.
Funnily enough, the Kicks has a longer wheelbase than the Juke, even though it sits below it in terms of quality and price. It’s no wonder, though, more so if you consider that small crossovers are booming in South America, where the asphaltic surfaces are rather poor.
Before the start of production in Brazil, Nissan will build the first units of the Kicks in Mexico, then export it to the country of football, coffee, and Ayrton Senna. Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive officer of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, has declared that the Kicks will eventually find its way to other markets. The rumor mill states that the U.S. could be one of those markets. Fingers crossed that rumor will turn to fact.
More information and pictures of the 2016 Nissan Kicks are available at nissankicks.com.br.
Photographs of the interior will be released in May, but in the interim, we’re able to tell you that the Kicks is underpinned by the tried-and-proven Nissan V platform. Yes, that means the all-new Kicks has some technical bits and bobs in common with the Micra (K13) subcompact and the hatchback-shaped Note (E12). In the Brazilian market, the Kicks will be powered by a 1.6-liter flex-fuel mill paired to a 5-speed manual. The Xtronic CVT will be offered as an option.
The main competitors of the 2016 Nissan Kicks on the Brazilian market will be the Jeep Renegade (which is also built in Brazil), Honda HR-V, the India-built Ford EcoSport, and the Renault Duster, otherwise known as the cheapest crossover on sale on the Old Continent.
Funnily enough, the Kicks has a longer wheelbase than the Juke, even though it sits below it in terms of quality and price. It’s no wonder, though, more so if you consider that small crossovers are booming in South America, where the asphaltic surfaces are rather poor.
Before the start of production in Brazil, Nissan will build the first units of the Kicks in Mexico, then export it to the country of football, coffee, and Ayrton Senna. Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive officer of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, has declared that the Kicks will eventually find its way to other markets. The rumor mill states that the U.S. could be one of those markets. Fingers crossed that rumor will turn to fact.
More information and pictures of the 2016 Nissan Kicks are available at nissankicks.com.br.
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