Nissan Kicks mini SUV begins testing under the Note's body - Spied

13/01/2016 - 23:46 Nissan Kicks, Nissan, Spy pictures Aravind Jayachandran

The Kicks will be known for its edgy design, modern styling and agile performance, the company said last week.

Autos Segredos reader Victor Hugo Andretta, spotted a test mule with a Nissan Note body which the website says is an early prototype of the Nissan Kicks SUV. The Kicks' main Brazilian competitor, the Ford EcoSport, began testing in a hacked Ford Fiesta body shell in 2010.

Nissan Kicks test mule rear three quarter spotted — Early prototypes test their systems using a donor body to maintain secrecy, while waiting for the car's design to be finalized.

Previewed by a concept model at the 2014 Sao Paulo Auto Show, the Kicks SUV claimed to have a “strong design statement” as well “performance that customers crave”. The car’s design is a work of Nissan Design America, Nissan Design America Rio and Nissan’s Global Design Center in Japan.

Details on its engine lineup are scarce, as of now. Insiders have told Brazilian websites that the Kicks is based on Nissan’s V-Platform which supports the Micra, Sunny and the Note, and it will pack a 1.8-liter Flex engine mated to a manual gearbox or a CVT.

Nissan Kicks test mule side spotted — The Nissan Kicks is reported to pack a 1.8-liter Flex engine mated to a manual gearbox or a CVT.

Also Read: Fifth-gen 2016 Nissan Micra – Rendering

Carlos Ghosn, president and chief executive officer of Nissan Motor, confirmed this month in Brazil that the Kicks will go into production at the Resende Industrial Complex and start arriving in showrooms later this year, following a possible debut at the 2016 Olympics in August, where Nissan is one of the major sponsors. Nissan has invested 750 million Brazilian real (INR 1235.76 crore) and created 600 new jobs for the Kicks' production.

[Source: Autos Segredos]