As planned by Nissan, the Indian-arm of the Japanese automaker is all set to be more aggressive starting as early as in January 2019 and will bring in its new Nissan Kicks SUV in India. The global brand Kicks has been a successful selling SUV for Nissan and in India, it will replace the Nissan Terrano SUV. The company will unveil the Kicks SUV in India coming Thursday (18th October 2018) followed by a market launch in January 2019.
Also read: Nissan Kicks first drive: Compact and fun challenger to Hyundai Creta
Nissan Terrano has done decent numbers for the company but the company now wants to create a premium positioning with its Nissan brand and the Kicks while it will be priced aggressively it will offer many premium features expected from a premium compact SUV. It will be based on the same M0 platform which underpins vehicles like Renault Duster, Renault Captur and Nissan Terrano but will have many new components with higher levels of localisation. We expect Nissan to commence the bookings of the Kicks sometime in December 2018.
Nissan Kicks in many ways is a make or break product for the Nissan Motor India and to ensure its success expect a strong marketing campaign and the global tag of Kicks will further boost sales for the company. Nissan will also export the Kick to its global markets including to middle-east where it is currently imported from company's plant in Mexico. Nissan Kicks will be larger than 4 meters in length and is expected to challenge the likes of Hyundai Creta. It will take its design cues from the global Nissan Kicks but will be more tuned to please the Indian buyer. It will have similar dimensions as the Nissan Terrano but with completely new design to both exteriors and interiors. The use of M0 platform will allow Nissan to create more space inside the cabin which means more legroom and luggage space than the Kicks we recently drove in Dubai that's built on Nissan's V-platform.
New Nissan Kicks in India will come with the 5-seat layout and will get a similar cabin to the international model. We expect a big 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that will support Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Expect a neat layout of the dashboard and also a digital instrument cluster. India bound Nissan Kicks will get the same tried and tested 1.5L petrol and diesel engine mated to a 6-Speed MT and will also get the optional CVT gearbox.
We expect the prices of Nissan Kicks to go around Rs 9.0 lakh to up to Rs 14 lakh (ex-showroom) and will rival the likes of Hyundai Creta and also Mahindra Scorpio.
Source: financialexpress.com