Nissan Kicks e-Power rumored to arrive soon; Will it challenge the fast-selling Corolla Cross Hybrid

This might be the one model to change the fortunes of Nissan in Malaysia. Until a few years ago, Nissan in Malaysia has been doing rather well with all of its models on sale. The previous long serving Almera, Navara, X-Trail and Serena have had good sales response and happy customers. 

Then, there were no new and exciting models being introduced and the Navara was starting to look aged against the sleek new rivals. The Almera could not compete with its segment rivals and the X-Trail needed a refresh model.

 The crossover segment in Malaysia was growing fast and the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V continued to sell well without a rival from Nissan. Then, Proton and its partner Geely shook the market 4 years ago with the arrival of the X70 SUV and two years after that, again with the X50 crossover.

Nissan had no crossover for sale in Malaysia. There was the Nissan Juke which was selling very well in Indonesia and Singapore, but Nissan in Malaysia did not dare gamble with this trendy looking vehicle and so their market share reduced.

Toyota also had no crossover for sale in Malaysia and they also lost possible market share to Honda who had success with their HR-V. 

 Then in October 2021 UMW Toyota introduced the Corolla Cross Hybrid crossover and till today it is a very fast selling crossover with a rising waiting list. Powered by a hybrid system using a 1.8L Atkinson-cycle petrol engine, it delivers 97 horsepower and 142 Nm of torque (combined with the electric motor it is 122 horsepower) using an electronic controlled continuously variable gearbox (CVT) it is able to deliver 23.7 kilometres of driving with one litre of petrol.

With 3 driving modes and the possible emission free driving mode at low speed for short distances, this fuel sipping crossover might lose some of its market success if Nissan were to launch the Kicks e-Power soon. 

 The Kick e-Power was launched as a locally assembled model in Thailand in 2020 and has been selling well since. Powered by a 1.2L 3-cylinder petrol engine that works with an electric motor and a CVT it has 129 horsepower and 260 Nm of torque. This Nissan delivers an almost identical fuel consumption as the Corolla Cross hybrid which is 23.4 kilometres of driving with one litre of petrol. 

 In terms of size, the Corolla Cross is larger at 4460 mm long, 1825 mm wide and 2630 mm high whereas the Kicks is just 4305 mm long, 1760 mm wide and 1615 mm tall. 

Strong rumors within Nissan in Malaysia have the Kicks E-Power scheduled for launch in Malaysia by the end of this year. If much sooner, there is a chance that it could easily take away some of the bookings for the Corolla Cross hybrid as its selling price is estimated to be between RM 120,000 and RM 132,000 which is side by side with the Corolla Cross hybrid.

Despite its smaller size, this is a good looking crossover and will also take some of the Proton X50 and Mazda CX-3 sales which means it could be a best seller for Nissan in Malaysia. If it is launched next year, then there is little point as the deliveries of the Corolla Cross would have superseded the need for buyers to look elsewhere. 

Also read: 2022 Nissan Serena S-Hybrid will be another hot seller again