There are cars that build a global career without ever setting wheels on our soil. That used to be the case for the Nissan Kicks. Introduced in 2016, the Japanese crossover is today sold in dozens of countries and has moved more than 1.8 million units. A nice success, to be sure, in which Europe had never taken part. Nissan has just announced that this anomaly will soon be corrected.
The Nissan Kicks will be produced in England
The European-bound Kicks will not cross the ocean to reach our dealers. Nissan has chosen to build it at its British Sunderland plant and will invest £170 million, about €196 million, to adapt the site for this new model.
The automaker also confirms that the Kicks destined for Europe will receive its third-generation e-POWER hybrid powertrain. A distinctive technology, because, unlike a conventional hybrid, the internal combustion engine does not directly drive the wheels: the wheels are always powered by the electric motor. The gasoline unit thus mainly acts as a generator to produce the electricity required.
Beyond that, Nissan remains deliberately discreet. The final technical specifications of the European Kicks are not yet known, nor its price or the precise arrival date in showrooms. And these details will be all the more interesting since the new arrival will have to carve out a niche in a lineup that is already very crowded.
Between the Juke and the Qashqai, there isn’t much room left
The current Kicks measures about 4.37 m in length. That’s roughly twenty centimeters longer than the Juke, but not far from the Qashqai in size. Yet Nissan has no intention of sacrificing either of these two models to make space for the Kicks. The Qashqai remains, of course, a cornerstone of the European lineup, while the Juke itself is poised to begin a new career with a future electric generation.
On paper, the Kicks thus slots into a particularly tight space between the two. Its price, equipment, and final specifications will determine how Nissan plans to keep its three SUVs from stepping on each other’s toes.
One thing is certain: the arrival of the Kicks is excellent news for Sunderland. The British plant, which will celebrate 40 years in 2026 and whose future had recently raised some concerns, will add this model to the Leaf, Juke and Qashqai. Nissan thus strengthens a historic site at a time when the British automotive industry is navigating a difficult period. For the Kicks, it will simply be a matter of earning its place—in the factory, but especially in the showrooms.
