Nissan wants to grab a share of the booming Indian SUV segment with its Kicks compact SUV.
The Indian mass market car segment is seeing an influx of SUVs, compact SUVs and micro SUVs from various companies like Mahindra and Renault. Nissan, which has an alliance with Renault has thus announced the launch of its Kicks compact SUV in the Indian market in January 2019.
The Nissan Kicks that will be introduced in India will however be different from the globally sold model. The company will be making India specific changes to the Kicks to check all the right boxes. These changes will include a roomier cabin and more connectivity options in the car. Other features like a touchscreen infotainment system with navigation too will offered.
Engine options for the India-spec Nissan Kicks will most likely be the 1.5-litre diesel and petrol engines that are already powering the Renault Duster. The 1.5-litre petrol engine outputs 104.55 HP and 142 Nm of peak torque. The 1.5-litre diesel on the other hand comes in two engine tunes, 83.8 HP and 108.4 HP and 240 Nm of torque. A 5-speed manual or an X-tronic automatic gearbox is offered with the petrol engine while the diesel engine only gets a 6-speed manual gearbox on the Duster.
We expect the Nissan Kicks to use the above mentioned power mills that will also be BS6 emission norms ready. No details about transmission pairing is yet known but an automatic should be offered as the buyers are increasingly preferring it for city driving. All Wheel Drive too should be on offer.
The Nissan Kicks’ entry into this segment has been a delayed move by the company. The Hyundai Creta, which is the segment leader will be a tough competition to beat unless Nissan really comes out with something terrific. The pricing too needs to be very competitive as anything on the higher side will mean continued struggle for Nissan which isn’t having it easy in India.
Nissan Kicks India Launch
– The compact SUV will be unveiled in India in January 2019
– It will get India specific changes to suite the market demand
– Competition will include the segment leader Hyundai Creta and the Ranault Duster
Source – NDTVAuto.com
