Nissan Kicks Concept

Nissan recently took to the 2014 Sao Paulo International Motor Show to unveil its latest concept vehicle: the Kicks. Marking the company’s second-ever design exploration in Brazil — following 2012’s EXTREM — the Kicks represents what could eventually be a new model tailored for the emerging South American market. Led by Nissan’s global design center in Japan and created as a collaboration between California-based Nissan Design America and Nissan Design America Rio, the vehicle balances design cues from both a compact SUV and performance car. The result is a sleek crossover, full wraparound glass, 19-inch six-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels, a blunt vertical front end, a V-motion grille, boomerant lights, and floating roof. Said Nissan’s Executive Design Director, Mamoru Aoki:

Brazil has a mix of people and cultures that blends a range of styles, flavors and tastes. In developing the Kicks concept, we sought to create a design that is both aspirational yet attainable –- a vehicle that is rugged enough to handle the reality of Brazilian back roads, but that is sporty, sophisticated, and business-like with year-round utility… Where the stance of the Nissan Frontier pickup might be compared to a power lifter and the Nissan GT-R to a world-class sprinter, the Kicks concept is more like a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter –- coiled for action and precise in every movement.