The turbo Nissan Kicks could be a viable candidate for the Philippine market

Back in 2019, Nissan Philippines stated that it was planning to bring in new and more exciting cars in its lineup. One such confirmed vehicle is the Nissan LEAF which is slated for launch sometime in 2020. Another possible candidate comes in the form of the Nissan Kicks which recently made its debut in Thailand. The refreshed vehicle now comes with a hybrid variant and a facelift.

While Nissan Philippines has not confirmed that the Kicks e-power could be entering the local market the subcompact crossover does present itself as a possible new addition to the brand’s lineup in its gasoline form. The Nissan Kicks over in India have just gotten an upgrade which could better suit the Philippine market instead of the e-power hybrid variant. The Indian Kicks now gets a 1.3-liter turbocharged gasoline engine making 153hp and 254 Nm of torque. The new engine can be had with either a CVT or a 6-speed manual transmission. The new small-displacement motor could aid the Japanese brand in making the subcompact crossover more competitive in the local market.

Aside from the engine the Indian spec vehicle also comes with a few technical upgrades which Philippine customers would appreciate. The Nissan Kicks now comes with a new NissanConnect infotainment system, automatic engine start/stop with a remote start function, an 8-inch touchscreen display with voice control, automatic headlights, intelligent around-view monitor, reverse camera, and rain-sensing wipers. All these features make it an ideal candidate for Nissan Philippines to bring into the country.

If Nissan Philippines is going to bring in the Kicks into the country it would mean having to say goodbye to the Juke. Nissan has never sold the Kicks and Juke in the same market at the same time. There is a facelifted Juke now available on sale in other markets, however, it has not made its ASEAN debut, which could point to the Kicks being the successor to the Juke in the ASEAN region.