Nissan Kicks small SUV being rolled out to more markets, Australia under consideration

The Nissan Kicks is kicking on, with the all-new small SUV now being confirmed for launch in the UK and Europe – leaving Australia among a vanishingly small number of markets to not offer the model.

“We are examining the business case for the new-generation Nissan Kicks for the Australian market, but at this stage we don’t have anything further to share regarding its potential introduction,” said a Nissan Australia spokesperson.

This comes after Nissan overnight announced it would invest £170 million (A$320.2m) in its Sunderland plant in the UK to build the model for both that market and Europe in e-Power hybrid guise.

The second-generation small SUV is already built in three other countries: Mexico and Brazil, for sale across different markets in the Americas; and Japan, for the Japanese market.

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The first-generation Kicks also continues to be produced in Thailand and Taiwan for various Asian markets. An updated version of this vehicle, called the Kait, is built and sold alongside the second-generation Kicks in Brazil.

That leaves precious few markets without a Kicks of some description in Nissan showrooms, including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The second-generation Kicks entered production first in Mexico in 2024, with the Japanese-built model – which would appear the most likely to be sold here – only debuting in 2026.

Based on a version of the Juke's CMF-B chassis architecture, it measures 4365mm long, 1800mm wide and 1610-1615mm tall on a 2655mm wheelbase. That makes it 60mm shorter, 35mm narrower and 10-15mm lower than the Qashqai , with a 10mm shorter wheelbase.

The e-Power series-hybrid powertrain uses a 1.4-litre three-cylinder engine that powers a 105kW/315Nm electric motor instead of sending drive to the wheels; all-wheel drive variants add a 50kW/140Nm rear motor.

Nissan has also revealed a more rugged-looking Rock Creek version, while petrol-powered Kicks variants are available in some global markets with turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder and naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engines.

The Kicks is offered with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, while there's a full suite of available active safety and driver-assist technology including active blind-spot assist and a surround-view camera, plus ProPilot which combines adaptive cruise control and lane-centring functionality.

Should it be introduced here, the Kicks would take the spot of the Juke that was axed in Australia early this year. A third-generation Juke is entering production in the UK, but it’ll be offered only with electric power and has thus far been ruled out for our market.

But the Kicks has potential to cannibalise sales of the Qashqai, which has become increasingly expensive and decreasingly popular.