Nissan Kicks Spotted Testing In India For The First Time

A heavily camouflaged test mule of the upcoming all-new Nissan Kicks compact SUV was spotted testing in India for the first time. The Hyundai Creta rival is set to be launched in India in January 2019, and the new SUV will be different from the global model and will come with some specific changes suited for the Indian market. The India-spec Nissan Kicks is being developed at the new Nissan Design Centre and will be manufactured at Renault and Nissan's jointly owned plant, both located in Chennai.

The leaked spy photos only reveal the rear three-quarter of the new Nissan Kicks and a partial view of the profile. Furthermore, the heavy camouflage doesn't reveal much about the visual characteristics of the new compact SUV either. Having said that, the India-spec Kicks is expected to get new exterior design and styling, and the spy images also reveal a set of multi-spoke alloy wheels similar to the global model.

India-spec Nissan Kicks will see changes in terms of size and cabin size as well

The company has also confirmed that the India-spec Nissan Kicks will come with dimensional changes, a roomier cabin, and a bunch of technical features for connectivity that will be specific to the Indian market. The interior design and styling are also expected to be slightly different compared to the global spec models.

Powertrain wise, the Nissan Kicks will get both petrol and diesel engine options for the Indian market and they are likely to be borrowed from the Nissan Terrano. So, the petrol version is expected to get the existing 1.6-litre engine offering 103 bhp, while the diesel option will get the tried and tested 1.5-litre oil burner that comes in two states of tune - 84 bhp and 108 bhp. The Kicks, however, might only come with the more powerful version of the diesel engine. Transmission options for the Terrano include a 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual and an AMT unit, although, it's still not confirmed whether the Kicks will get an automatic version or not. However, seeing the current trend for automatics in India, Nissan is likely to offer the Kicks with one, at the time of launch.

Up on launch, the new Nissan Kicks is expected to come with a price tag in the range of Rs. 11 lakh to Rs. 16 lakh (ex-showroom).

Image Source: IAB