Nissan will invest £170 million to build its Kicks e-POWER crossover at its Sunderland plant.
The B-segment model will join the Qashqai, Juke and Leaf on the production line, helping to safeguard manufacturing jobs at Nissan’s UK plant.
It will mark the European debut of the second-generation Kicks, which is already manufactured in Japan, Mexico and Brazil and sold in more than 70 countries.
Nissan has sold more than 1.8 million Kicks models globally, but has not confirmed when the Sunderland-built version will reach UK and European dealerships.
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The Kicks will use Nissan’s third-generation e-POWER hybrid system, introduced in 2025.
Under the system, the wheels are driven solely by an electric motor, while a petrol engine generates electricity and recharges the battery.
Sunderland already builds e-POWER versions of the Qashqai and will manufacture the Kicks for customers in the UK, Europe and Turkey.
Massimiliano Messina, chairperson of Nissan’s AMIEO region, said: “Electrification with choice is what European customers want, and the introduction of Kicks will further demonstrate how Nissan has options for all.”
The Kicks follows the Bluebird, Primera, Micra, Almera, Note, Infiniti Q30, Juke, Qashqai and LEAF in being allocated to Sunderland.
Production of the all-electric third-generation Juke is also due to begin at the plant next year.
Nissan has also maintained that an electric Qashqai remains on its product agenda, despite reports earlier this year that development had been halted as part of the manufacturer’s cost-cutting programme.
The electric Qashqai had previously been announced alongside new battery-electric versions of the Juke and Leaf under Nissan’s EV36Zero plans for Sunderland.
The latest product announcement follows Nissan’s confirmation that a new A-segment electric car called the Pixo will join its European range. The model is due to be unveiled next week.