Japan
Nissan put the Kicks on sale in Japan on 18 June, more than two years after this second-generation car reached the US and after subsequent launches in the Middle East and Brazil. Each of those markets gets a different drivetrain, and Japan gets the one most closely associated with Nissan at home: e-Power, here in its third generation.
The system is now built as a 5-in-1 unit, packaging the motor, generator, inverter, reducer and increaser into a single module that is lighter and more compact than before. A 1.4-liter turbocharged three-cylinder, the HR14DDe, produces 98 hp and works purely as a generator. It has no mechanical connection to the wheels at all. Drive comes from a 143 hp YM52 electric motor at the front, with 315 Nm of torque, and the e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive versions add a 68 hp MM48 motor on the rear axle.
That makes the Japanese car mechanically distinct from its siblings. The US and Middle East versions use a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine with 143 hp and a CVT, while Brazil gets a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder rated at 120 hp on petrol and 125 hp on ethanol, paired with an automated manual.
Externally the Kicks runs a vertical-slat grille flanked by split LED headlights, a sculpted hood, black wheel-arch cladding, roof rails and a tailgate spoiler, on 17- or 19-inch wheels. A rugged Rock Creek trim appears in the launch photography with its own darker exterior treatment. Inside, cloth and synthetic leather are the two upholstery choices, base cars run a 7-inch instrument display and 7-inch infotainment screen, and the upper trims move to 12.3 inches for both. ProPilot driver assistance is standard across the range.
Japanese pricing starts at 2,999,700 yen, about $18,600, for front-wheel drive and 3,349,500 yen, about $20,800, with e-4ORCE. The top version is 4,248,200 yen, about $26,350.
