Nissan has confirmed that the Kicks compact crossover will finally come to Europe, with production allocated to the company’s Sunderland plant in the UK. The automaker will invest £170 million ($230 million) to prepare the factory for the model, which will use Nissan’s third-generation E-Power hybrid system.

The Sunderland-built Kicks is expected to serve buyers in the UK, Europe and Turkey. It gives Nissan three electrified crossovers produced at the facility, joining the Juke and the larger Qashqai.

Electric-drive hybrid system

Unlike a conventional hybrid, the E-Power system sends power to the wheels exclusively through an electric motor. A 1.4-liter gasoline engine operates as a generator rather than driving the wheels directly.

Nissan describes the latest setup as a 5-in-1 drivetrain. It combines the electric motor, generator, inverter, reducer and increaser into a single unit. The Kicks will be the latest European application of Nissan’s third-generation E-Power hardware.

The move also expands a technology that Nissan says has found more than 1.9 million buyers worldwide since 2016. Around 200,000 Qashqai E-Power hybrids have been built in the UK, giving Sunderland an established base of experience with the system.

What the Kicks means for Sunderland

The Kicks becomes the newest chapter in Sunderland’s production history, which began with the Bluebird in 1986 and later included the Primera, Micra, Almera, Note, Qashqai, Juke and Leaf. The plant has now produced more than 11 million vehicles.

Nissan said the new allocation arrives as the factory marks its 40th anniversary. Sunderland currently employs around 6,000 people directly, and the investment reinforces the site’s role in Nissan’s European electrified-vehicle strategy.

Because the plant already builds the Qashqai and Juke E-Power, adapting production for the Kicks will build on existing hybrid manufacturing expertise. Nissan also plans to consolidate Qashqai, Juke, Leaf and Kicks production onto a single line.

European lineup and production plans

The Kicks has been on sale globally for about a decade and is now in its second generation, but it has never officially been offered in Europe. Sunderland production changes that, adding a B-segment crossover alongside the Juke while the C-segment Qashqai remains the larger option.

Nissan is also preparing Sunderland production of the all-electric third-generation Juke, with trial production expected to begin in the coming weeks. The company has halted its previously planned all-electric Qashqai for Sunderland, making the Kicks investment a significant part of the plant’s future product mix.

Nissan has not announced European pricing, detailed specifications or an on-sale date for the Sunderland-built Kicks. For now, the confirmed plan centers on UK production and the adoption of E-Power for buyers across the region.