How the Nissan Kicks P15 became the first e-POWER-only Nissan in Japan

The Nissan Kicks P15 is a compact crossover SUV that Nissan has built since 2016, placed between the Juke and the X-Trail. It reached Japan in June 2020 as the first e-POWER-only Nissan sold there, and it has been known as the Kicks Play in North America and Brazil since the renaming.

The Kicks (KIX) once sold in Japan was a different car. This Kicks was built in-house and went on sale in Brazil first, then in China, North America, Asia, the Middle East and India. Its Japanese sales chapter closed in June 2026.

Where did the Kicks come from?

The Kicks was shown as a concept in 2014 and entered production in Brazil in 2016. Nissan announced the Resende plant as its production base in January 2016, the production version was unveiled in Rio de Janeiro in May, and sales started in Brazil in August 2016.

The design came from three studios. The Nissan Global Design Center in Japan set up the team, and Nissan Design America in the United States and Nissan Design America Rio in Brazil then joined. The three divisions worked together, and the finished design appeared as the concept EXTREM at the Sao Paulo Motor Show of October 2012.

A version closer to production followed as the Kicks Concept at the Sao Paulo Motor Show in October 2014. In February 2015 a compact SUV-styled concept called the Kicks Samba Concept appeared at the Samba Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Nissan was lead sponsor of the Summer Olympics, and the car was shown across Brazil in summer 2016 to promote the Games.

A crossover first sold in Brazil that Nissan reworked around e-POWER alone for Japan.

Why did Japan get the Kicks instead of the Juke?

Nissan had fully redesigned the Juke in Europe in September 2019 but did not sell it in Japan. It judged that the new Juke would struggle on cargo space and would have limited appeal to families, so it chose the Kicks, which had been well received in Brazil and elsewhere.

Cars that are fun to ride in and fun to drive were certainly prized in the segment, yet demand for cargo room had risen sharply. Nissan judged the new Juke would have limited appeal to families in interior and living space, and the Kicks, already well received in Brazil, was selected instead.

The decision also set the course for e-POWER. Nissan wanted the Japanese Kicks to use its e-POWER system, which was a first for an SUV, and production had to be planned with Thailand in mind. The Honda Vezel served as the main benchmark, and the Toyota C-HR, which resembled the former Juke, was also compared. Europe kept the downsized turbo Juke while Japan and Asia got e-POWER, so development leaned towards Asia.

Styling and equipment

The exterior is built around V-Motion, Nissan's design identity. A V-shaped grille, boomerang-shaped headlights and a floating roof combine strength and sportiness. Starting with the 2021 model year, the stronger Double V-Motion treatment arrived, making the car look more like a proper SUV and more imposing on the road.

The Japanese e-POWER car offers nine body colours, plus a two-tone finish with Pure Black Pearl Metallic. Several colours are special paint options, and the two-tone list includes Dark Metal Grey Metallic, which is exclusive to two-tone cars.

Every car gets a touchscreen head unit, Bluetooth for hands-free calls and wireless streaming, plus a USB port and a rear-view camera display. Higher grades add an upgraded infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a premium amplified audio system with small speakers set into the front headrests.

What made the e-POWER version different?

The e-POWER Kicks, launched in Thailand in May 2020, pairs a 1.2 L (73 cu in) HR12DE three-cylinder petrol engine with an EM57 electric motor and drives the front wheels. Its e-POWER Drive system lets the driver adjust speed by easing off the accelerator, which reduces brake use.

Three drive modes are offered: SMART, NORMAL and ECO. In ECO or SMART, e-POWER Drive works, so the car can be slowed without touching the brake pedal as often. Nissan also optimised when the generator engine runs, which reduces how often the engine runs, and it improved the body's sound insulation to make the car quieter.

In Japan the e-POWER car was the third Nissan model to carry the system, after the E12 Note and the C27 Serena. It was also the first Nissan model in Japan to be e-POWER only. Intelligent Emergency Braking, Pedal Misapplication Prevention Assist and SOS Call came as standard, with ProPILOT driver assistance on every car.

Nissan did not offer a pure petrol version in Japan. It wanted to show its advanced technology through e-POWER, and a petrol version would have looked like an afterthought. The Japanese car stood 20 mm (0.8 in) taller than the Brazilian model, and its wheelbase was 10 mm (0.4 in) longer.

How did the Kicks sell in other markets?

Brazil started sales in August 2016, the Middle East followed in December 2017, and Canada and the United States came in May and June 2018. Taiwan began in November 2018 and India in January 2019. In 2020 e-POWER versions went on sale in Thailand and Singapore, and Mexico launched its e-POWER version in October 2022.

In North America the Kicks took the Juke's place. The Juke withdrew completely from the North American market in June 2018, and the Kicks also stood in, indirectly, for the Versa Note, a subcompact hatchback. North American cars came from Mexico. As of June 2018 prices were 17,990 dollars for the base S and 20,290 dollars for the top SR, which made it the entry point to Nissan's US SUV range.

In China the car went on sale as the successor to the Livina C-Gear, under the Chinese name Jinke. Taiwan followed in November 2018 with the China-spec model, priced from 725,000 Taiwan dollars, and its television advertising began on 6 November 2018, five days before sales began on 11 November.

When was the Kicks renamed Kicks Play?

Nissan renamed the car Kicks Play in North America in December 2024 and in Brazil in February 2025. The second-generation P16, launched in 2024, was sold alongside the renamed car for a time, and in Mexico and Canada the Kicks Play name was already in use from August 2024.

In Brazil the Kicks Play continued to be sold alongside the P16 in February 2025, when the car also received a new name for its 2025 model year.

What changed in the 2022 facelift?

The 2022 facelift moved e-POWER to the second generation used in the E13 Note, which reduced how often the engine started at low speed. It also brought the first four-wheel-drive Kicks, the e-POWER 4WD, and made Intelligent FCW standard on every car.

The e-Pedal Step became easier to use, and B range became available even in SPORT or ECO mode. Better economy earned the car the 2030 fuel economy standard 90% achieved rating, and the vehicle type changed to RP15.

The e-POWER 4WD has motors at the front and rear, a fully electric four-wheel-drive layout that controls torque between the axles. Lifting off the accelerator while slowing triggers regeneration from the rear motor.

Intelligent FCW, a forward collision warning, debuted on a compact SUV here. A millimetre-wave radar at the front watches the gap and relative speed to the car two ahead, and warns the driver through a display and buzzer when braking appears necessary, helping to avoid chain-reaction collisions.

Special editions and the AUTECH range

The AUTECH custom car, handled by Nissan Motorsports and Customize (formerly Autech Japan), was announced on 15 January 2021 and went on sale on 3 March 2021. It was the seventh model in the AUTECH range and the second SUV in it, after the X-Trail. AUTECH cars wear dark chrome grille trim, a dot-pattern fog lamp surround, metal-look protectors and AUTECH badges, with blue-glowing signature LEDs in the front bumper and gunmetal 17-inch aluminium wheels.

The Columbia Edition went on sale in Japan on 2 November 2021, with a limited run of 500 units. It was planned with an outdoor clothing company and based on the X grade, with blue grille stickers, black protectors, waterproofed seat aprons and seat-back pockets, a luggage seat, plus a floor carpet and a sunshade that are normally dealer options.

The 90th Anniversary edition, announced on 16 May 2024 and on sale from 20 June, was based on the X and X FOUR. It has copper stripes on the door mirrors, copper roof rails and a copper grille finisher, plus gunmetal wheels and a 90th Anniversary tag on the seats. The edition came in eight body colours, five monotone and three two-tone.

The Kicks Surf Concept appeared on 28 February 2019 with a surf-themed design. The project involved two professional surfers, Alejo Muniz and Santiago Muniz, and the body was finished in a blue-green and yellow two-tone with a wave graphic on the sides.

The 2018 moose test

On 1 August 2018 a Mexican car magazine ran a moose test on a Kicks Fan Edition, which had no electronic stability control (ESP). The car nearly tipped over during the run at 65 km/h. A higher-grade model with stability control also went through the test. It managed to keep all four tyres in contact with the road at the same speed, yet the driver had no sense that it could get back onto the road, and the outcome was recorded as a failure.

What happened in India?

Nissan Motor India launched the Kicks on 22 January 2019 as the successor to the Terrano, with prices starting at 995,000 rupees, about 1.5 million yen. Nissan ended sales in India in 2023, citing weak sales, and production there ended as well.

The Indian car had styling similar to the P15 but was larger, and it shared almost no parts or sheet metal with it. It used a platform based on Nissan's B platform, which helped reduce manufacturing costs.

The first engines were a naturally aspirated petrol and a diesel, both paired with six-speed manual gearboxes. Bharat Stage 6 rules led Nissan to drop the diesel in May 2020, and the HR13DDT turbo petrol took its place, producing 156 hp (158 PS; 116 kW) alongside 254 N-m (187 lb-ft; 26 kg-m) of torque. Nissan claimed it was the most powerful engine in its segment, and the Xtronic CVT was offered for the first time.

The Kicks was also the official car of the 2019 Cricket World Cup. It did not comply with Bharat Stage 6 Phase 2 either.

How did sales end in Japan?

Orders in Japan were halted on 10 January 2023 because further parts supply risks were expected, and Nissan wanted to deliver reliably to buyers who had already ordered. On 10 April 2023 prices were raised by a uniform 200,200 yen for catalogue grades and 222,200 yen for AUTECH, both including 10% consumption tax, because of soaring raw material and logistics costs. Orders reopened after three months.

In April 2026 the Thai-spec model was announced with a minor change, on sale in May. Its front grille gained a three-dimensional V-Motion section at the lower edge, the headlamps have a slim upper beam with a three-arrow daytime running light, and the rear tail lamps are hexagonal. Sales in Japan ended on 17 June 2026 as Nissan moved to the second-generation P16.

Key specifications