The launch of the next-generation Nissan Kicks is delayed because of two reasons as reported by Automotive News. The report states that the Japanese automaker is delaying the debut of the next-gen Nissan Kicks until June 2024.
The production of the next-gen Kicks was supposed to start this year, specifically in December. However, it did not push through since the said crossover vehicle failed to pass the crash safety test. This has delayed the launch by a month and a half.
But, Nissan’s problems concerning the next-gen Kicks don’t stop there as it has encountered another setback concerning the vehicle. The latest delay is reportedly caused by the theft of tooling equipment from a supplier in Mexico.
However, the sources familiar with the matter did not reveal the identity of the supplier involved in the theft of tooling equipment. Likewise, it’s not known as to which vehicle component or part of the next-gen Kicks is affected.
What’s clear is that the production of the next-gen Kicks in Nissan’s Aguascalientes plant in Mexico will be delayed, and is seen to begin in June 2024.
Nissan Vice President for Communications Brian Brockman did confirm that the launch of the next-gen Kicks is delayed but he has not provided a definite reason as to why it is being pushed back.
“The arrival of the next-generation Kicks is delayed slightly due to an unexpected factor outside the company's control. Until then, we expect to have strong availability of the current model, which continues to be one of the most popular vehicles in its segment,” Brockman said.
The Kicks is one of the models offered by Nissan Philippines. It comes with the car brand’s e-Power technology, which is a 100 percent electric motor-driven system. It’s not a fully electric vehicle since the Kicks e-Power still comes with a gasoline engine that charges the battery pack, which then gives power to the electric motor. Think of the gasoline engine as a power bank.
Last June 2023, Nissan Philippines launched a safety recall for the Kicks e-Power to address the aircon cooling issue in the said vehicle. The car brand also said that the inspection and repair for the Kicks e-Power’s AC cooling issue only takes around two hours to complete.
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