Somebody Stole the New Nissan Kicks Production Tooling So Now It's Delayed

If you're a fan of budget-friendly vehicles, you'll be aware that a new Nissan Kicks is just around the corner. Sadly, though, its U.S. debut has been delayed thanks to the alleged theft of important tooling needed for its manufacturing.

As reported by Automotive News, it's the second major delay to the debut of the new compact SUV. The first came when the vehicle failed basic crash safety tests, which put back the timeline by approximately a month and a half. The new delay is expected to be a further five months, due to the loss of production tooling that was stolen from a supplier's factory in Mexico. Sources briefed on the matter did not identify the supplier in question, nor the parts the tooling was for.

Nissan confirmed the launch delay to Automotive News without specifying a reason for the hold-up.

"The arrival of the next-generation Kicks is delayed slightly due to an unexpected factor outside the company's control," Brian Brockman, Vice President of Communications for Nissan US and Canada told the outlet. "Until then, we expect to have strong availability of the current model, which continues to be one of the most popular vehicles in its segment."

Production is now expected to begin in June next year, with U.S. deliveries to begin shortly after that. The Kicks will be built at Nissan's factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico.