Nissan is considering producing the Kicks in Sunderland
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Nissan is considering producing the Kicks in Sunderland
- Produced since 2024 in Brazil and Mexico for Latin American markets, the Nissan Kicks—a B-segment compact SUV featuring a full-hybrid powertrain—is set to launch in Europe in 2027. The European version will be manufactured at Nissan’s Sunderland plant in England. This facility is currently underutilized; in 2025, it operated at 60% of its capacity, producing 274,905 vehicles out of an annual capacity of 450,000. This is despite the plant handling three models on its assembly lines (the Qashqai, Juke, and Leaf), with two more—an all-electric Juke and a model from the Chinese brand Jaecoo—expected to arrive by 2027.
- The Nissan Kicks will arrive in Europe alongside the launch of the new electric Nissan Juke, which will also be produced in Sunderland. It appears that the Nissan Kicks is intended to gradually replace the combustion-engine Nissan Juke, a model that dates back to 2019. The new electric Juke will not be offered with a combustion engine.
- The Nissan Kicks will be available with an "e-Power" full-hybrid system—a powertrain already featured in the Qashqai. It is worth noting that this system differs from Renault’s hybrid technology: in Nissan’s setup, the wheels are driven exclusively by an electric motor, whereas in Renault’s system, either the combustion engine or the electric motor can drive the wheels.
- Measuring 4.30 meters in length, the Nissan Kicks will compete in the European market against models such as the Renault Captur (4.23 m), Peugeot 2008 (4.30 m), VW T-Cross (4.11 m), Hyundai Bayon (4.18 m), and Kia Seltos (4.43 m). For comparison, the current Nissan Juke measures 4.21 meters.
- Inovev forecasts annual sales of 45,000 units for the new Nissan Kicks in Europe.
Market share of BEVs in Europe (31 countries): 17% in 2025 (7 months) and 23 % in 2026 (8 months)
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Market share of BEVs in Europe (31 countries): 17% in 2025 (7 months) and 23 % in 2026 (8 months)
Mercedes confirms the closure of its Mexican plant in Aguascalientes
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Mercedes confirms the closure of its Mexican plant in Aguascalientes
- Mercedes has announced the closure of its assembly plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico, where the GLB SUV was produced—a model whose production is being shifted to the company’s plant in Kecskemét, Hungary, by 2026. The facility was a joint venture between Nissan and Mercedes, established in 2015 with each manufacturer holding a 50% stake. It was intended for the production of premium compact models for both brands.
- Initially, the plant was projected to produce up to 230,000 vehicles annually; however, it never reached that volume. The two partners gradually phased out their respective models: Nissan ended production of the Infiniti QX50 and QX55 at the end of 2025, while Mercedes announced that its production would cease in May 2026, coinciding with the transfer of the new GLB’s production to Kecskemét, Hungary. Consequently, the facility—formerly co-owned by Mercedes and Nissan—is set to close before the end of 2026, following the discontinuation of both Mercedes and Nissan models.
- Nevertheless, Nissan continues to operate a large, wholly-owned plant in Aguascalientes, located just a short distance from the Mercedes-Nissan facility. Nissan manufactures its Versa and Kicks models there.
- The buildings and equipment at the Mercedes-Nissan plant are not necessarily destined to be scrapped. Several automakers have expressed interest in taking over the facility—including Chinese manufacturers BYD and Geely—as the plant, with its 230,000-vehicle annual capacity and existing infrastructure, is considered an attractive industrial asset.
The September 2026 Hannover IAA commercial vehicle show focused on electrification
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The September 2026 Hannover IAA commercial vehicle show focused on electrification
- The 2026 edition of the commercial vehicle show (IAA 2026) in Hanover (Germany) undoubtedly places emphasis on the electrification of the models offered on the European market. In the first half of 2026, 100% electric light commercial vehicles represented 14% of the European light commercial vehicle market (Europe 30 countries = EU + United Kingdom + Switzerland + Norway), compared to 10% in the first half of 2025. The progress is significant since sales of 100% electric models increased by 38% year on year. But we are still far from the scores achieved in this area on the European passenger car market (23% in the first half of 2026). The objective of the IAA 2026 show is to bring the market shares of electric LCVs as close as possible to electric VPs in Europe.
- The 2026 edition was the opportunity to present these new electric LCVs as a world premiere:
• the Renault Trafic E-Tech Flexvan 800V equipped with an 81 kWh battery allowing a range of 470 km.
• the Kia PV7 800V equipped with a 96 kWh battery allowing a range of 460 km.
• the Ford Transit City (which we have already talked about) equipped with a 56 kWh battery allowing a range of 257 km.
• the VW ID Buzz Cargo “Autonomous level 4” anticipates the utility vehicle of tomorrow.
• the Stellantis group is modifying its electric N1-1 LCVs to make them more accessible to businesses.
• the Chinese Farizon V7E and SV, Chery Delivan, Maxus V2L, V2B and V2G.
The future VW Golf will be launched in 2030, rather than in 2028
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The future VW Golf will be launched in 2030, rather than in 2028
- The launch of the next-generation VW Golf, originally planned for 2028, has been pushed back to 2030. This delay stems from shifts in the company’s technology roadmap and its current commercial situation. The German automaker believes its electric vehicle lineup will already be sufficiently robust by 2028, with the ID.3 Neo, ID. Polo, ID. Cross, and ID. Lupo. In other words, an electric Golf in 2028 would, to some extent, overlap with these other models. Furthermore, the development of the SSP (Scalable System Platform)—a "software-defined" architecture that integrates hardware and software, with the latter at its core—has fallen behind schedule. This is arguably the most significant technical factor. The future Golf is intended to debut a new technological generation based on the SSP, which is designed to serve as a common electric platform for Volkswagen and its other brands. Its timeline has already been pushed back several times; originally, the SSP was slated to arrive much sooner. Volkswagen’s major struggles with software have negatively impacted the schedule. The SSP was intended to be paired with the new E3 2.0 software architecture, developed primarily by Cariad (a wholly-owned VW Group subsidiary dedicated to software development). Delays in this architecture have contributed to the postponement of the models that rely on it. In fact, in 2024, Volkswagen entered into a major partnership with Rivian to accelerate its software development.
- Finally, Volkswagen aims to maximize the profitability of its existing platforms. While awaiting the SSP, the company has evolved its MEB platform into the "MEB+" and continues to implement it across several new models. Postponing the Golf therefore extends the commercial lifespan of the current architecture, allowing the company to better recoup the investments already made in it.
- In summary: delays to the SSP platform + software issues + a desire to maximize the return on investment for the MEB/MEB+ platforms + an already sufficiently extensive electric vehicle lineup + the need to reduce costs and complexity = the decision to postpone the launch of the electric Golf until 2030, positioning it as a showcase for Volkswagen’s next generation of technology. The electric Golf (based on the SSP platform) will be produced in Wolfsburg.