Photo: Nissan
Nissan was planning to launch the next-generation Nissan Kicks this year. However, a theft at one of the suppliers' headquarters forces the carmaker to postpone production.
Thieves reportedly took some of the tooling from the factory in Aguacalientes, Mexico, where it was set to be installed in order to start the production of the model. Now, Nissan has to delay the market launch of the Kicks by approximately half a year. Thus, the Japanese carmaker should start the production of the model in June 2024 instead of December this year.
The theft took place at one of the carmaker’s local suppliers. But Nissan did not disclose which one. There is no word on which part of the vehicle has been affected. But if the supplier will not be able to recover the stolen tooling, it will have to manufacture it once again, which might take anywhere from three to six months.
It is not the first time that the Nissan Kicks has been delayed. The first time it happened was because the crossover failed to pass the crash tests, which reportedly added about a month to the development stage of the model.
The Nissan Kicks sits as one of the most affordable cars on the market in North America, with the current generation coming with a price tag of $20,590. This amount of money brings the subcompact crossover with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 120 horsepower (122 PS) and 114 lb-ft (155 Nm) of torque.
The engine is mated to an XTronic CVT transmission that sends resources to the front axle. The Kicks is not exactly a sports car. It takes 9.7 seconds to hit 60 mph (97 kph) from a standstill.
The current generation has been on the market since 2018. Despite the fact that it looks and feels a bit outdated, it will remain on the market until the next one arrives. The new generation will have some recovering to do in an ever more competitive segment.
Nissan is reportedly preparing to introduce a larger engine into the lineup, as well as all-wheel drive for the first time, an option that is not exactly common in the subcompact crossover segment. The North American market might as well receive an electrified variant of the model, similar to what Nissan sells in other markets around the world.
Thus, the Nissan Kicks will enter production in June 2024, with deliveries set to start shortly after.
The Kicks will have to fill the void that the Qashqai (Rogue) will leave once it exits the American market. The electric Nissan Ariya, though, is keeping its ground in the US, but that one is double the price of the Kicks, for instance, at $43,190.
The theft took place at one of the carmaker’s local suppliers. But Nissan did not disclose which one. There is no word on which part of the vehicle has been affected. But if the supplier will not be able to recover the stolen tooling, it will have to manufacture it once again, which might take anywhere from three to six months.
It is not the first time that the Nissan Kicks has been delayed. The first time it happened was because the crossover failed to pass the crash tests, which reportedly added about a month to the development stage of the model.
The Nissan Kicks sits as one of the most affordable cars on the market in North America, with the current generation coming with a price tag of $20,590. This amount of money brings the subcompact crossover with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 120 horsepower (122 PS) and 114 lb-ft (155 Nm) of torque.
The engine is mated to an XTronic CVT transmission that sends resources to the front axle. The Kicks is not exactly a sports car. It takes 9.7 seconds to hit 60 mph (97 kph) from a standstill.
The current generation has been on the market since 2018. Despite the fact that it looks and feels a bit outdated, it will remain on the market until the next one arrives. The new generation will have some recovering to do in an ever more competitive segment.
Nissan is reportedly preparing to introduce a larger engine into the lineup, as well as all-wheel drive for the first time, an option that is not exactly common in the subcompact crossover segment. The North American market might as well receive an electrified variant of the model, similar to what Nissan sells in other markets around the world.
Thus, the Nissan Kicks will enter production in June 2024, with deliveries set to start shortly after.
The Kicks will have to fill the void that the Qashqai (Rogue) will leave once it exits the American market. The electric Nissan Ariya, though, is keeping its ground in the US, but that one is double the price of the Kicks, for instance, at $43,190.
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