- Nissan is investing £170 million ($230 million) in Sunderland to produce the Kicks.
- The Sunderland-built Kicks will use Nissan's third-generation E-Power hybrid system.
- Kicks joins Qashqai and Juke to give Nissan three electrified B-segment crossovers built in the UK.
Nissan is putting £170 million ($230 million) into its Sunderland plant to build the Kicks, a compact crossover that has already sold 1.8 million units worldwide without ever officially reaching Europe.
The Kicks becomes the latest in a long line of Sunderland-built models that started with the Bluebird, then grew to include Primera, Micra, Almera, Note, Qashqai, Juke, and Leaf. It will carry Nissan's third-generation E-Power hybrid system for UK, European, and Turkish buyers.
Nissan Kicks E-Power Enters Europe With UK Production
Now into its second generation, the Kicks has spent a decade on sale, but Europe never got one. That changes with a Sunderland-built version riding on the newest E-Power hardware.
E-Power works differently than a conventional hybrid. The wheels only get power from an electric motor, while a 1.4-liter gas engine works purely as a generator. The setup uses what Nissan calls a 5-in-1 drivetrain, bundling the motor, generator, inverter, reducer, and increaser into one unit.
Gallery: Nissan Kicks (JDM)
Nissan moaned for years about being locked out of full EV incentives in markets that did not recognize E-Power as electrified enough, so a bigger UK base for the tech matters for Qashqai and Juke as well as the Kicks. More than 1.9 million E-Power hybrids have sold globally since 2016, including roughly 200,000 Qashqai E-Power hybrids built in the UK alone.
Massimiliano Messina, Nissan's AMIEO Region chairperson, called the launch proof of "the agility and speed with which we can bring new models to new markets." The Kicks joins the Juke in the B-segment subcompact crossover class from Sunderland, sitting alongside the larger C-segment Qashqai, with all three offered in electrified form.
Sunderland's Anniversary Investment Reshapes Its Future
Nissan's Sunderland plant has passed the 11 million vehicle mark since the first Bluebird rolled off the line in 1986, averaging roughly one car every 2 minutes over that period. The Kicks investment lands on the facility's 40th anniversary.
UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds framed the announcement as a vote of confidence in British manufacturing, noting Sunderland has "supported thousands of skilled jobs" and helped build the North East into an automotive hub. The plant currently employs around 6,000 people directly.
Sunderland already builds Qashqai and Juke E-Power hybrids, so adapting the line for Kicks production draws on expertise the plant has built up over years. Adam Pennick, the plant's vice president of manufacturing, said the allocation was "the perfect way to celebrate our 40th year."
April 2026 brought the unveiling of the all-electric third-generation Juke, which is confirmed for Sunderland with trial production starting in the coming weeks. At the same time, Nissan has halted its previously planned all-electric Qashqai for Sunderland and will consolidate Qashqai, Juke, Leaf, and Kicks output onto a single line at the plant.
Motor1's Take: Nissan is quietly turning Sunderland into its hybrid and EV stronghold for Europe. Stacking Kicks E-Power on the same line as Qashqai, Juke, and Leaf shows where the brand expects demand to sit in the next few years.
