The new Nissan Kicks has been spied
completely undisguised while being transported to Thai dealerships on a
flatbed. Do note that this is the V-platform-based global model and not the B0
platform-based India-specific model. However, the latter could receive similar
visual changes when it gets a facelift.
The new Nissan Kicks features a more
confident front end. It appears to have a significantly larger radiator grille,
tweaked headlamps, vertical fog lamp housing, reshaped lower grille and a new
bumper. The rear end is mostly the same as that of the old model. The spy shots
reveal a new bumper with a more body-coloured portion.
Whether the Nissan Kicks will get any
interior changes isn’t known yet. Reports say that it will gain an e-Power
series-hybrid powertrain. In a nutshell, a series-hybrid powertrain uses a
combustion engine to generate electric power and an electric motor using the
same to spin the wheels.
Nissan will likely offer the same e-Power system in the
new Kicks as the one in the new Note. This system uses the HR12DE 1.2-litre
petrol engine (79 PS/103 Nm) and the EM57 electric motor (109 PS/254 Nm). A
small 1.5 kWh battery pack stores the energy for the electric motor. There’s
also an AWD option in the Note e-Power, with the additional N2 electric motor
(4.8 PS/15 Nm) in the rear.
With the facelift and adoption of e-Power
technology, the global Nissan Kicks is set to penetrate new markets, such as
Thailand and Japan. In fact, its debut in the refreshed avatar with the
series-hybrid powertrain will take place in Thailand only.