Electric Motorcycle News: Honda Vezel dominates the small SUV market, and Dongfeng Kicks emerges to change the situation

In recent years, the competition in the joint venture small SUV market has entered a white-hot stage, but Nissan, one of the three major Japanese automakers, has not yet launched a real small SUV, relying only on the Qashqai to cope with the pressure from competitors. As we all know, the Qashqai, which was born on a compact SUV platform, cannot compete with Honda's Vezel and XR-V in terms of price, so it is imperative to launch a real small SUV, and the Kicks is the answer given by Nissan.

Kicks is a small SUV built on the Nissan V platform. Its main competitors are the Vezel, XR-V, and Encore, targeting the post-90s young market. The car will start pre-sale on June 16 and is expected to be officially launched in July. The car is equipped with a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine model HR15 with a compression ratio of 12.2. It is also equipped with an EGR exhaust gas recirculation system. In order to save costs, the engine hood is not installed. Although the functionality will not be affected, it looks awkward.

In terms of appearance, the Kicks is faithful to its concept car prototype to the greatest extent, and looks quite individual and avant-garde, which is very attractive to young people. The grille is not too big, which contrasts with the thick V-shaped chrome trim, giving it a certain visual impact. The headlights are sharp and have a certain three-dimensional sense, and the low beam uses LED light source, which is rare in the same class.

The rich lines on the side of the Kicks make it look compact and dynamic, and the C-pillar design is also very distinctive, similar to the Loulan. The 17-inch double five-spoke wheels are quite ordinary in shape, but the two-color design adds a bit of texture to it, and the tires are mainly fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly.

The rear of this car is also very stylish, with rich but not messy lines, which looks very tight and has a certain sense of hierarchy. The irregular taillights are consistent with the design style of the whole car, and with the smoked black treatment, it looks really cool.

The interior of the Kicks is obviously different from other Nissan models currently on sale. It takes a simple route and gives people a refreshing feeling. The shape, size and ergonomics of the three-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel are all satisfactory. If the leather wrapped on the outside can be softer, it will be more pleasing.

The 7-inch LCD screen is not very large, and the interface lacks innovation, but the touch response is sensitive enough and it supports CarPlay, which makes up for some shortcomings. The safety configuration of the Kicks is one of its highlights, with pre-collision intelligent braking, lane departure warning, lane change assistance, body stability control and other systems.

In the past, Nissan's family cars provided us with a comfortable driving experience, and of course the Kicks is no exception. It is still a Nissan at heart, easy to drive and comfortable, and the word "sports" is basically not related to it. However, this is understandable, after all, more consumers need a car that looks young and sporty, but is easy to drive and easy to control, and the Kicks is just that.

I personally think that Kicks has only a 70% chance of successfully challenging the competition. First of all, its competitors such as Binzhi, XR-V, Encore and other models have a good reputation among users. As a latecomer, it still has a long way to go. Secondly, its power system is relatively single, and there are only three configuration models, leaving consumers with little choice. Finally, the entire series does not have sunroofs or automatic air conditioning, which compromises driving comfort to a certain extent.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.