Nissan Kicks e-Power Premiere Edition introduced in Thailand

At the 41st Bangkok International Motor Show 2020 which opened this week, Ramesh Narasimhan, president of Nissan Motor Thailand, unveiled a limited edition variant of the Kicks e-Power called the Premiere edition.

The Premiere edition variant will be limited to just 500 vehicles and is based on the VL variant of the Kicks e-Power. It was among the many new models to feature in Nissan’s line-up at the show, and the company will provide test drive opportunities for potential customers.

Nissan Kicks ePower Premiere Edition side

The Premiere edition features an upgraded aesthetics package over the top-spec VL variant. The kit includes a sporty aesthetic diffuser in the front and rear, side skirts, a rear roof spoiler, 17-inch Black Alloy wheels and a Premiere badge. The interior gets a few upgrades with a Sport pedal, Premiere Edition Kicking plate and Premiere badge for added differentiation. The special edition will be offered in two colours – Storm White and Monarch Orange.

The Premiere Edition is priced at 1,099,000 baht which is 50,000 baht costlier than the VL top trim (1,049,000 baht).

May 18, 2020 –

Update – Bangkok Post has reported that the Kicks e-Power returns a fuel efficiency of 23.4 km/l with a CO2 figure of 100 g/km. At the launch of the car last week Nissan did not give out the fuel efficiency of the SUV, reserving that information perhaps closer to the start of customer deliveries scheduled next month.

Nissan conducted the world premiere of the Nissan Kicks e-Power variant in Thailand on May 15. Nissan says e-Power provides the driving excitement of an electric car over long distances and that over 700,000 cars with this technology (Note and Serena) have been sold in Japan and Hong Kong.

Thailand becomes one of the first countries (outside Japan) to manufacture and have e-Power technology available for customers. As we explain later in this story, the e-Power offers the benefits of a full-electric driving experience that includes a strong torque and acceleration – without the need of externally charging the vehicle as the engine onboard exclusively performs that function.

SpecificationNissan
Kicks
(Hybrid)
Mazda
CX-30
MG
ZS
Toyota
C-HR
(Hybrid)
Honda
HR-V
Engine1.2-litre2.0-litre1.5-litre1.8-litre1.8-litre
Power (PS or hp)129 PS165 hp114 PS122 hp141 PS
Torque (Nm)260213150142 Nm (engine) & 163 Nm (motor)172
Fuel Efficiency
(km/l)
23.4*15.415.624.414.8
Price Range
(lakh)
Rs 21.09 to
24.88 lakh
Rs 23.46 to
28.44 lakh
Rs 16.34 to
18.95 lakh
Rs 23.22 to
27.49 lakh
Rs 22.51 to
26.54 lakh
Nissan Kicks vs competitors in the Thai SUV market (prices converted to Indian Rupees from THB)
*Fuel efficiency as reported by BangkokPost.com

2020 Nissan Kicks ePower – Exterior Design

As compared to the regular version of the Kicks that has been on the market since 2016, the Nissan Kicks e-Power, at the front, features a wider V-Motion radiator grille, sleeker and futuristic LED headlamps with Boomerang LED Signature Turning Lights, a new front bumper that is cut sharply, minimized fog lamps and new smaller air inlet.

On the sides, the Kicks sports 17-inch alloy wheels, a ‘floating roof’ with a ‘wrap-around’ visor, while at the back the tweaked combination lamps have LED light guides and a freshly styled bumper and body-coloured panels usher in much-needed freshness to a four-year old design. The design is a step forward in presenting the car a mature look thanks to the application of the latest iteration of Nissan’s Emotional Geometry design language.

2020 Nissan Kicks ePower – Interior

The interior layout is identical to the global model save for the electric parking brake and the drive selector. Talking about the features, it has the “Gliding Wing” instrument panel design that has a 7.0-inch full-color display. The centre console is appointed with an 8.0-inch infotainment system that features the Nissan Connect (Apple CarPlay for iOS) bringing navigation, infotainment, safety and security.

Engine and Powertrain specification

The new Nissan Kicks’ talking point is its e-Power powertrain that makes it a series-hybrid electric vehicle. Wheels are spun by the EM57 electric motor, which sources electricity from a 1.57 kWh Lithium-ion battery that is constantly charged by energy generated by the HR12DE 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine.

The e-Power system gives the self-charging Nissan SUV a maximum power output of 129 PS and a max torque of 260 Nm. The driver can choose from four modes: EV, Eco, S and Normal. The Kicks ePower also features the e-Pedal which lets the driver to launch, accelerate, decelerate and stop the car using the accelerator pedal. This is particularly handy while going up or down a hill and in stop-go city traffic.

A gamut of advanced safety technologies have been loaded into the 2020 Nissan Kicks e-Power including Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Forward Collision Warning, 360-degree camera with Moving Object Detection and IRVM with an in-build LCD to display the rear-view camera feed.

2020 Nissan Kicks ePower Thailand price press photo

Deliveries of the Nissan Kicks ePower begins next month in Thailand.

Nissan Kicks e-Power – Introductory Prices in Thailand

  • Kicks S – 8,89,000 Baht
  • Kicks E – 9,49,000 Baht
  • Kicks V – 9,99,000 Baht
  • Kicks VL – 10,49,000 Baht

As leaders in electrification we decided to pledge to continue our timeline to bring this ground-breaking technology, e-POWER, to Thailand. This is because Nissan commits to Thailand and our employees, as the regional leader in driving the company’s vision for the electrification of mobility. And as a key global production and export hub for Nissan.

Ramesh Narasimhan, president of Nissan Thailand

In the Thai market, comparable models include the MG ZS, Toyota C-HR and the Mazda CX-30. Nissan was scheduled to lift the covers off the Kicks facelift in March in Thailand (its global premiere). The new Kicks e-Power was to have its public premiere at the 2020 Bangkok International Motor Show.

Nissan Motor Thailand has expanded local production into hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and batteries for electric vehicles with a total investment of 10.96 billion Thai baht. The factory at the Samut Prakan Province now produces vehicles fitted with e-Power technology which was originally only made in Japan.

The Nissan Kicks e-Power is not a fully electric vehicle as the car still has a petrol engine. It has the EV tech borrowed from its electric cousin Nissan Leaf and pairs it with a petrol engine that charges the battery, thus eliminating the need of an external charger. This is a type of series hybrid vehicle.

Nissan Kicks e-Power system gets a fully electric motor drive, which means the wheels are completely driven by the electric motor. The battery and the powertrain are integrated to a gasoline engine, power generator, inverter and a motor. The result is that a 1.2L petrol engine paired with electrical components can produce torque that is similar to a 2.0L engine.

Nissan launched the current generation Kicks back in 2016 based on the Nissan V-Platform. The Kicks is currently available with 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine mated to a 5-speed and 6-speed manual gearbox units respectively. The company introduced a regional edition of the Kicks on the Duster platform (M0) for India in 2018 with more or less the same exterior and interior. Going forward expect the global and regional Kicks editions to download all the updates available to the Thai-spec Kicks, including ePower technology in select regions that should give it a competitive advantage.

Nissan Kicks e-Power for India?

Nissan India had said that it was keen to bring e-Power to India, but without the government’s support for hybrid cars as things stand today (28 percent tax and 15 percent cess, comparable to a petrol powered vehicle), they make them economically not feasible for customers.