Over the past few weeks, we have shared multiple spy shots of various upcoming BS6-compliant vehicles in the Indian market. The 2020 Nissan Kicks BS6 is the latest entrant on the list. Nissan Kicks, the mid-size SUV (technically a compact crossover SUV) was spotted wearing emission testing equipment on the roads of Pune. Upon first glance, there are no obvious changes to its design.
Hat tip to automotive enthusiast Prem Kumar for sharing the exclusive spy shots. The Nissan Kicks was launched in the country back in January 2019 at a starting price of Rs 9.55 lakh ex-showroom. It is basically a replacement to the ageing Nissan Terrano (shares the same mechanicals and equipment as the early Renault Duster models) which was discontinued towards the end of 2018.
The company is not doing particularly well in terms of sales and we rarely see a new Nissan product on the road nowadays. For the same reason, the Japanese-origin brand has introduced the Nissan Kicks Red Weekend for the month of December; offering benefits up to Rs 1.10 lakh along with assured gifts.
The Nissan Kicks is available in both petrol and diesel formats across four variants: XL, XV, XV Premium and XV Premium+. The 1.5-litre H4K petrol engine makes 106bhp and 142Nm while the 1.5-litre K9K diesel is good for 110bhp and 240Nm of torque.
The petrol engine comes mated to a 5-speed manual while a 6-speed manual does the transmission duties for the diesel power plant. Both the Renault power plants are employed in a range of Renault and Nissan products currently on sale in India.
The compact crossover mainly rivals the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV500, Renault Captur and the lower variants of the all-new Kia Seltos. Nissan India currently sells four vehicles: Micra Active, Micra, Sunny and of course, the Kicks. The iconic R35 Nissan GT-R supercar is also available on the Indian market, but that caters to a different segment.
The testing equipment you see here is often used for homologation — the approval by a higher authority to sell/use a product within the rules and regulations effective in the location.
Often times, various automotive brands homologate their products in various markets or countries, even if they do not plan to introduce it there. Indian roads have also seen a lot of foreign vehicles undergoing road tests and emission tests for homologation; even the Bugatti Veyron.
