Japanese auto manufacturer Nissan began production of its new Kicks crossover vehicle at its plant in Mexico this week.
As company executives cheered the first new Kicks model to roll off the assembly line, they also celebrated the fact that the plant in the north-central state of Aguascalientes has now produced 16 million Nissan vehicles since it began operations in 1992.
Guy Rodríguez, president of Nissan Latin America, described the Kicks — available in 70 markets around the globe — as “a vehicle conceived in and inspired by Latin America.”
The Kicks model was introduced at the 2014 Sao Paulo International Auto Show as a concept car and made its international debut in Sao Paulo in 2016 (touted as the official car of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games).
Described as a subcompact crossover SUV, the Kicks has been assembled in Mexico since 2016. An updated version of the standard Kicks was revealed in December 2020 and a second-generation Kicks was introduced for the North American market in March 2024.
Competition in the crowded subcompact SUV market prompted Nissan to again update the Kicks model which, according to the news magazine Expansión, has served as a test platform for the company’s technological innovations. It was the first model in Mexico to include e-Power technology, “offering an intermediate solution between traditional hybrid vehicles and the purely electric models.”
Unlike conventional hybrids, e-Power uses a gas motor to generate electricity while the wheels are propelled by an electric motor.
The 2025 Nissan Kicks, featuring the e-Power system, was stylized in Nissan’s Design Center in Brazil.
“This new chapter in our history proves we have the capability to lead with vision and continue contributing … to Mexico’s mobility with innovative proposals,” said Rodrigo Centeno, president and managing director of Nissan México.
According to Reuters, Nissan invested US $150 million in the new production line for the 2025 Kicks model which will initially target the Latin American market. The Kicks investment is part of a US $700 million reinvestment Nissan announced in 2022.
Centeno said that 12.5% of the 60,900 Kicks produced in Aguascalientes since 2016 have been sold in Mexico.
The Aguascalientes 1 complex is the only place the 2025 Kicks model is being produced right now; it will be assembled in Brazil beginning next year.
Centeno said the Aguascalientes production line can produce 34 new Kicks per hour, or approximately 200,000 vehicles per year.
The Aguascalientes plant already makes Nissan Sentra, NOTE, March and Versa models. It produced 447,301 vehicles through August, nearly 9% more than in the first eight months of 2023. Sales are up 5.9% and exports have risen 19% over the same period.
With reports from Forbes México, El Financiero, Reuters and Expansión
