The company’s goal is to build the Kicks crossover based on a concept vehicle that was unveiled at the 2014 Sao Paulo Auto Show. The company only mentioned Latin America but noted additional markets are being considered. Given the boom India is facing in the compact SUV segment, it’s fair to say that the Nissan could potentially consider bringing the Kicks to India.
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“With Nissan Kicks, we will go beyond the obvious to pack a punch with a strong design statement and the performance that our customers crave”, Valls said.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Japanese auto maker Nissan said Monday it will invest $185 million to produce a new model of urban four-wheel-drive vehicle in Brazil, despite the country’s economic crisis. During Ghosn’s announcement, he also said, “Nissan invented the first crossover in 2003, with the Murano”.
Although not confirmed, the engine reported to power the Nissan Kicks is a 1.8-liter Flex engine mated to a manual gearbox or a CVT. “Since then, we’ve established our global crossover leadership with vehicles like JUKE, Qashqai and X-Trail – which have been great successes”.
Nissan is teasing the new crossover ahead of its offical unveiling.
Like with the study, the production version will be designed and developed by Nissan’s Global Design Center and Nissan Design America studios in San Diego and Rio, its local satellite outfit. With similar dimensions, this would place the production Kicks alongside models like the Fiat 500X. The compact crossover SUV will initially be sold exclusively in South American markets before eventually being launched globally.
Nissan has not shown a production version of the Kicks, but the crossover will likely retain most of the styling cues of its concept counterpart.
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