Nissan Motor has unveiled its new Kait compact SUV, designed mainly for markets in Latin America. The Japanese automaker is preparing to launch production of the new model at its plant in the Resende Industrial Complex in Brazil, from where it will be exported to more than 20 markets across Latin America.

Nissan said the Kait is designed for customers “seeking an SUV with a stylish look, spaciousness, and well-equipped safety features.” It is powered by a 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated petrol (or flex-fuel) engine, paired with a CVT gearbox.

Nissan expects the Kait to become an important model in its Latin American portfolio, alongside the all-new Kicks and Magnite, which it says “have marked a turning point since their introduction in the Latin American region.”

Guy Rodríguez, President of Nissan Latin America, said in a statement: “The Nissan Kait project stems from Nissan’s global experience in developing SUVs that integrate solutions to meet the needs of Latin American consumers, strengthening our participation in this growing and highly competitive segment. We are proud to manufacture and commercialize this vehicle first in Brazil and Latin America, and I am confident it will be embraced by our customers in our region as it inherits key elements of robustness, reliability, and quality from our best-selling platform.”