Just a few days to go until the Malaysia Autoshow 2024, and one of the brands set to be present, Nissan, has teased its lineup for its display. Distributor Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) appears to be rolling out a few of its current models, including the C27 Serena J Impul (no, not the new C28), Almera Kuro Edition (no, not the facelift) and an extremely rugged version of the Navara.

But there’s one other car that will be shown at the event, and the not-very-well-disguised teaser indicates that it will be the Kicks e-Power. The B-segment crossover – which competes against the Honda HR-V in other markets – will be showing off its hybrid powertrain, which functions in a similar fashion to Honda’s Intelligent Multi-mode Drive (i-MMD) system found in its e:HEV models.

In the Kicks, the hybrid system is centred around a 129 PS/260 Nm, which derives its electricity from a 1.57 kWh battery. The latter is juiced by a 79 PS/103 Nm 1.2 litre HR12DE three-cylinder petrol engine that functions solely as a generator. Unlike Honda’s version, there’s no lock-up clutch to enable the ICE to drive the wheels directly.

It’s tempting to treat this as a sign the Kicks will finally be sold in Malaysia very soon – after all, its arrival was telegraphed as early as 2022. But the ship has very much sailed on that one, not least because there’s an all-new model now being sold in the US.

Instead, the Kicks will likely serve as a teaser for another model with e-Power technology – similar to how the Note e-Power was shown at the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) back in 2018 to gauge public interest.

This yet-to-be-confirmed model is anticipated to be the C28 Serena. The MPV, which made its debut back in 2022, is no longer available in mild S-Hybrid form, hitherto the only powertrain option for the C26 and C27 Serena in Malaysia.

The sole electrified version instead uses a more powerful 163 PS/315 Nm electric motor and a larger 98 PS/123 Nm 1.4 litre HR14DDe direct-injected three-pot generator. The car has already been seen undergoing testing locally and hence is long overdue for its Malaysian launch.

GALLERY: Nissan Kicks e-Power

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