The new model was inspired by the Kicks Concept car presented at the 2014 Sao Paulo Motor Show, and would retain the Kicks name for the production version.
Following an investment of US$192 million, the Kicks will be produced at Nissan's Resende Industrial Complex in Rio de Janeiro state. The facility was opened in 2014 and produces compact vehicles March and Versa. After the start of production, Nissan expects to hire 600 new employees and start a second shift in Resende facility.
Ghosn.
"Nissan invented the first crossover in 2003, with the Murano," said Ghosn. "Since then, we've established our global crossover leadership with vehicles like JUKE, Qashqai and X-Trail – which have been great successes. The Kicks will bring Nissan´s unique Crossover expertise to more regions."
Led by Nissan's Global Design Centre in Japan, the Kicks Concept was conceived through a collaboration between Nissan Design America (NDA) in San Diego and Nissan Design America - Rio (NDA-R), the company's local satellite design studio. The teams are engaged in the design and development of the production model.
As well as its introduction in Latin American markets, Nissan continues to study the business case for launching Kicks in other regions, underlining the brand's commitment to global crossover leadership.
