Nissan India today announced commencing the production of its upcoming compact SUV, the Nissan Kicks. The company has rolled out the first Kicks from its Chennai plant, and the SUV is currently slated to be launched in India in January 2019. The India-spec Nissan Kicks will be a lot different from its European counterpart and various levels, right from the platform and dimensions to styling and features. In fact, the India-bound Nissan Kicks is based on the Terrano's B0 platform, unlike the Euro-spec model which employs the company's V platform, which also underpins the new-gen Micra hatchback.
Also Read: 2018 Nissan Kicks First Drive Review
The Nissan Kicks SUV will get projector headlamps and LED DRLs as well
Commenting on the announcement, Thomas Kuehl, President, Nissan India Operations, said, "We are excited to announce the start-of-production of new Nissan Kicks at our plant in Chennai. We had recently showcased the new Nissan Kicks which has created a lot of buzz and excitement amongst SUV enthusiasts across the country. Designed to appeal to the new-age urban adventure seeker, the Kicks is a testimony to our commitment to the Indian consumers and also reflects the SUV heritage of Nissan."
Also Read: New 2019 Nissan Kicks Launched In India; Prices Start At ₹ 9.55 Lakh
The Nissan Kicks SUV tail lights features the iconic boomerang-shaped LED signature lamps
The India-spec Nissan Kicks has been developed at the new Nissan Design Centre and the company has said that several of its inputs have been made specifically to suit the Indian market. In fact, compared to the Euro-spec Kicks, the model produced to India will get a roomier cabin and will get a bunch of technical features for connectivity that will be specific to our market. Although we still haven't got a chance to see the cabin, the interior design and styling are also expected to be slightly different compared to the global spec models.
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The Nissan Kicks SUV is built with a Graphene (Gravity-philic Energy Absorption) body structure
Nissan has also said that the body of the new Nissan Kicks is built with a Graphene (Gravity-philic Energy Absorption) body structure, enabling it to absorb impact energy, making it safer for agile movement on Indian roads. Additionally, we also expect to see safety features like - dual airbags, ABS with EBD, seatbelt reminder as standard.
Under the hood, the India spec Nissan Kicks will feature both petrol and diesel engines for the Indian market. In fact, the engines have been borrowed from Nissan's existing compact SUV Terrano. The petrol version gets the 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engine offering 103 bhp, while the diesel option gets the tried and tested 1.5-litre oil burner that comes in two states of tune - 84 bhp and 108 bhp.
