The Japanese car manufacturer Nissan is preparing a serious expansion of its range on the Old Continent with the official debut of the second generation of its compact model Nissan Kicks. The car, which has so far achieved serious commercial success in the markets of North and South America, as well as in Asia, will be offered to European buyers for the first time in its history. To ensure local production, the brand is investing a solid sum of 170 million pounds (about 200 million euros) to modernize its key plant in Sunderland, UK.
So far, over 1.8 million units of the Nissan Kicks have been sold in over 70 countries, thanks to assembly lines in Japan, Brazil and Mexico. With an overall length of 4365 millimeters, the new model will occupy a strategic position in the brand's portfolio, positioning itself precisely between the well-known urban fighters Nissan Juke and Nissan Qashqai. In terms of engineering, the crossover is based on the familiar CMF-B platform, which is also used by the smaller Nissan Juke.
Unlike the North American market, where the car relies on a conventional 2.0-liter gasoline unit, the European specification will rely entirely on the highly efficient e-Power drive. What is specific about this hybrid architecture is that the wheels are driven directly and solely by an electric motor. The 1.4-liter gasoline engine with a power of 98 horsepower mounted under the hood has no direct connection to the chassis, but works only as an on-board generator to power the battery.
In the standard version with front-wheel drive, the traction is provided by an electric motor with 143 horsepower, in which the average fuel consumption is just 3.9 liters per 100 kilometers. For those looking for additional traction, a two-wheel drive modification is also provided, in which a second electric motor with a power of 68 horsepower is installed on the rear axle. Even in the version with four-wheel drive, fuel consumption remains extremely modest - just 4.6 liters per 100 kilometers in the combined cycle. The starting price of the Nissan Kicks e-Power in Europe is expected to be below 30,000 euros.