Nissan Kicks official India unveil date revealed: Hyundai Creta challenger

Nissan’s Creta challenger, the Kicks, is ready to kickstart its Indian innings soon. According to Team-Bhp, the media launch of the compact SUV will be held on October 18, 2018 in Mumbai. Dealerships have also been notified that the Kicks is expected to be finally launched in January 2019. The new SUV will be a Hyundai Creta rival.

The stylish mid-level offering from Nissan has been developed specifically for the Indian market and is quiet different from the global version. The Indian-spec model will use the B-Zero platform instead of the V platform which underpins the global version.

The B-Zero platform is the same one which is employed upon other Nissan-Renault vehicles like the Duster, the Terrano and the Captur. Also, the Kicks that will be sold here is set to be bigger than the ones sold abroad, which has a slightly shorter wheelbase. This is to make it large enough to rival the Hyundai Creta.

Another area of difference between the international-spec Nissan and the Indian-spec SUV is in terms of powerplant. The international version draws power from 1.5 and 1.6-litre petrol engines. The Kicks for India, on the other hand, is expected to come with the engines found in the Renault Captur sold here.

The Captur is powered by petrol and diesel engines, both displacing 1.5-litres. The petrol engine produces 104.5 Bhp of power and 142 Nm of torque whereas the diesel unit churns out 108.5 Bhp of power and 240 Nm of torque. A 6-speed manual gearbox will be standard although it remains to be seen if an AMT option is also offered.

On the exterior front, the car features a V-shaped grille up front and large sweptback headlamps. It also sports a dual-tone front bumper along with a silver scuff plate and rectangular fog lamps. Flared wheel arches and raked rear windshield add up to the overall looks of the car. The rear side of the Kicks also features wraparound tail lights.

On the inside, it is expected that the car could come with dual-tone interiors along with an infotainment screen which will sit at the centre of the dashboard. The steering wheel could be a meaty 3-spoke multi-function unit. It is also likely to be offered with a 360-degree camera, among other features.

Although nothing is confirmed yet of how Nissan would position the vehicle, we expect that the Kicks would be priced between Rs. 10-14.5 lakhs. Its main rivals will be the Hyundai Creta and the Renault Captur. Though this compact SUV looks promising enough, it remains to be seen how it will fare in the highly competitive Indian market.