Nissan Kicks coming to UK - and it'll be built in Sunderland

Nissan has announced it is bringing the Kicks SUV to the UK market, sitting between the Juke and Qashqai models. Furthermore, the Kicks will be manufactured in the brand's Sunderland factory, alongside the aforementioned models, plus the Leaf. 

It comes as the brand is set to invest £170m in the plant to accommodate for production of the Kicks, safeguarding jobs and the brand's future at the facility. Currently, the Kicks is manufactured in Japan, Mexico and Brazil. 

The Nissan Kicks will be the tenth model produced at the Sunderland plant since the factory opened in 1986, where it began assembling the Bluebird. 

It's set to compete in the small SUV segment, competing against cars such as the Dacia Duster, Citroen C3 Aircross and MG ZS. The current-generation Kicks has already been on sale in global markets since 2024, but has never been offered in Europe until now. 

The Kicks will use Nissan's E-Power hybrid powertrain, which consists of an EV powertrain with a petrol engine acting as a range extender. 

UK pricing and specifications haven't been announced, but we could expect an evolution of the E-Power units offered in the Qashqai and X-Trail models. Those house a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine teamed with a tiny 2.1kWh battery pack.

For fleets, the Kicks represents a replacement for the petrol-powered Juke, which is going fully electric in its next generation. While the Qashqai remains a popular choice for fleet buyers, the Kicks is set to be a smaller, more affordable entry point into the family SUV class. 

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