Nissan to Produce Kicks E-Power Hybrid at Sunderland Plant for European Market

Nissan has announced an investment of £170 million ($230 million) into its Sunderland manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom to produce the Kicks crossover. Although the compact crossover has sold over 1.8 million units worldwide across two generations during its ten years on the market, it has never previously been offered in Europe. The Sunderland-built version will supply dealerships across the UK, continental Europe, and Turkey.

The European model will feature Nissan's third-generation E-Power series hybrid system. Unlike conventional parallel hybrids, the wheels are driven solely by an electric motor, while a 1.4-liter gasoline engine functions purely as an onboard generator to charge the battery. The setup utilizes a modular 5-in-1 drivetrain that bundles the traction motor, generator, inverter, reducer, and increaser into a single unit. Worldwide, Nissan has sold more than 1.9 million E-Power vehicles since 2016, including approximately 200,000 Qashqai E-Power crossovers produced at Sunderland.

The Kicks joins the Juke in the subcompact B-segment alongside the larger C-segment Qashqai, expanding the plant's electrified crossover portfolio. Massimiliano Messina, chairperson of Nissan's AMIEO Region, cited the launch as evidence of the brand's agility and speed in entering new markets. The investment coincides with the Sunderland plant's 40th anniversary, having assembled more than 11 million cars since the first Bluebird rolled off the line in 1986—an average output of one car every two minutes. The facility currently employs approximately 6,000 people.

UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds welcomed the announcement as a vote of confidence in British manufacturing and skilled jobs in the North East, while Sunderland manufacturing vice president Adam Pennick highlighted the milestone anniversary. Moving forward, Nissan plans to streamline operations by consolidating the Kicks, Qashqai, Juke, and Leaf onto a single production line. While trial production of the next-generation electric Juke begins soon following its April 2026 reveal, Nissan has paused development of an all-electric Qashqai at the site, reinforcing Sunderland as a primary manufacturing center for hybrid and electric vehicles.