Nissan Kicks, Datsun Go & Go plus to get the CVT automatic option

The Nissan Kicks, Datsun Go and the Datsun Go Plus will soon get an update in the form of an optional CVT transmission. The same has been confirmed by Hardeep Singh Brar, Director, Sales and Commercial, Nissan India. In a recent interview, Hardeep Singh said that the Nissan Kicks Datsun Go and the Datsun Go Plus will get a CVT gearbox by the Diwali festive season. This, according to H.S. Brar, is being done in a bid to cater to the rising demand for vehicles with automatic gearbox across various price ranges. To let you know, neither of the aforementioned car models come with an automatic transmission as of now.

H.S. Brar also stated that the company is currently working on upgrading the model lineup to meet the upcoming stringent BSVI emission norms. The Nissan Kicks chiefly rivals the likes of the Hyundai Creta and the Renault Duster in its segment. The Duster, which is its distant cousin, comes with an automatic gearbox but the Kicks is only offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox as of now. Talking about the Datsun twins, they too will get a possible sales boost after the introduction of a CVT box in the lineup since automatic transmission is getting quite popular even in the affordable hatchback segment.

Talking about the engine powering these cars, the Datsun Go and Go Plus are powered by a 1198cc three-cylinder petrol engine that churns out a decent 68 PS of power at 5000 RPM along with 104 Nm of torque at 4000 RPM. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, though a CVT will be available by Diwali festive season. Pricing for the Datsun GO and the GO+ start at Rs 3.32 lakh and Rs 3.86 lakh, respectively (ex-showroom, Delhi). Coming to the Nissan Kicks, the compact SUV is powered by a 1.5-litre H4K petrol engine that churns out 106 PS of power at 5,600 RPM along with 142 Nm of torque at 4,000 RPM.

The diesel engine, on the other hand, is a 1.5-litre 4 cylinder K9K dCi unit which produces 110 PS of power at 3,850 RPM along with 240 Nm of torque at 1,750 RPM. A 5-speed manual gearbox is standard with the petrol engine and drives the front wheels. The diesel, on the other hand, gets a six-speed manual gearbox. Nissan also launched a lower, XE diesel variant of the Kicks compact SUV recently. It’s priced at Rs. 9.89 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi), which makes it Rs. 66,000 cheaper than the previous base-level XL trim. This new low-end variant also makes the Kicks it cheaper than Hyundai Creta, which is its main rival. With the introduction of BSVI engines and CVT transmission in future, expect the pricing of the SUV to rise substantially.