Nissan Australia won’t kill Qashqai, but eyes another small SUV to join it

Nissan Australia has committed to the Qashqai in Australia, but it has left the door wide open for the launch of the related Kicks small SUV, while ruling out the similarly sized Tekton.

The UK-built Qashqai is in the midst of a sales slump in Australia, while the second-generation Kicks has been expanding its global presence with its recent launch in Japan, plus the confirmation of UK production that’ll see it introduced there and in Europe.

It’s therefore produced in right-hand drive, and its manufacturing in Japan could make it a more attractive proposition for our market.

But while Nissan hasn’t confirmed the Kicks for Australia, it has said it’s studying it – but it won’t necessarily come here as a Qashqai replacement.

“There is a future for Qashqai in our country, for sure,” Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette told CarExpert.

“Kicks, there were announcements of Europe and production in Europe. It’s a product that we are studying.

“We are looking at it, no matter what the source is. It is built in a few plants, and so it is something that we’re studying.

“But we’re also looking at other options that would be more entry-level SUV for our market.”

When asked whether that includes the Tekton, a lightly restyled Renault/Dacia Duster sold in markets that don't get the second-generation Kicks such as India and South Africa, Mr Milette replied: “For Australia, not necessarily, no.

“It’s not something that we’re actively pursuing.

“But Kicks is one of them that we are looking at. Whether it pencils, that remains to be seen. But, as you said, it is a growing portion of our industry in Australia.”

Nissan announced in September it would invest £170 million (A$320.2m) in its Sunderland plant in the UK to build the second-generation Kicks for both that market and Europe in e-Power hybrid guise. The small crossover SUV was already in production in Mexico and Brazil, and recently entered production in Japan.

Based on a version of the CMF-B architecture that underpins the Juke, axed in Australia earlier this year, the Kicks measures 4365mm long, 1800mm wide and 1610-1615mm tall on a 2655mm wheelbase.

That makes it 60mm shorter, 35mm narrower and 10-15mm lower than the Qashqai, with a 10mm shorter wheelbase.

The e-Power series-hybrid powertrain uses a 1.4-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that powers a 105kW/315Nm electric motor instead of sending drive to the wheels; all-wheel drive variants add a 50kW/140Nm rear motor.

Nissan has also revealed a more rugged-looking Rock Creek version, while petrol-powered Kicks variants are available in some global markets with turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder and naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engines.

The Kicks is offered with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, while there's a full suite of available active safety and driver-assist technology including active blind-spot assist and a surround-view camera, plus ProPilot which combines adaptive cruise control and lane-centring functionality.

The Juke was axed earlier this year in Australia due to dwindling sales, with its recently revealed electric successor ruled out for our market.

But the Qashqai has also seen a marked decline in sales, which are down by 72.8 per cent in Australia year-to-date, amid the axing of more affordable petrol-powered variants and the changeover to an updated e-Power hybrid.

Last year, Nissan Australia delivered just 4478 Qashqais, around a third of the volume this model was generating a decade ago.

Nissan announced in 2023 it would launch an electric replacement for the Qashqai, but Reuters reported in June that the Japanese automaker had scrapped development of this model early in 2025. Autocar subsequently reported that Nissan plans to keep the Qashqai around with mild-hybrid and hybrid powertrains.

All three generations of Qashqai have been sold in Australia, with the first generation wearing the Dualis nameplate and arriving here in 2007.

Nissan moved to a hybrid-only lineup for the Qashqai for 2026, coinciding with the introduction of the brand's upgraded e-Power drivetrain. This saw the base price jump by more than $10,000 despite the introduction of the new base ST-L e-Power.

Following the axing of the Juke and petrol-powered Qashqai variants, the larger X-Trail is now Nissan's most affordable model in Australia. It's priced from $38,305 before on-road costs in petrol-powered ST guise.

While Nissan Australia is expected to tap its Chinese joint ventures for new models to offer here, including the Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute, there are no small SUVs built in right-hand drive and arguably none suitable for our market.

Dongfeng Nissan still sells the first-generation Kicks in China, plus a facelifted version of the previous-generation Qashqai.

In markets such as India and South Africa, Nissan fields a couple of different SUVs at this end of the market: the smaller Magnite, which is just under four metres long; and the Tekton, launched this year as a lightly restyled Dacia/Renault Duster.

The Tekton is offered in India with a choice of turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder or 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engines.

It's built in Chennai, India, and based on the third-generation Renault Duster, which started production in India earlier this year, but wears a completely new front fascia.

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