Previously, the Nissan Juke appeared on the scene in a rather bold manner, showing the world a fun and playful side of Nissan’s passenger cars and catering to a segment of buyers that didn’t want to go all-in for a full size or even medium-size SUV. It was one of the first compact SUVs, the first of the crossovers.
But since its original introduction globally, it has been joined the the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Jeep Renegade and to a lesser extent, its Renault cousin the Captur. It remains a popular choice, but the emergence of this new competition means that it has to share the same pie with younger opponents.
So remedy this and to give the Juke some of it’s original funk back, Nissan is reportedly preparing a second-generation version that’s earmarked for debut in late 2017. According to a report by AutoExpress, there will be some quite visible changes in store surrounding the car’s exterior.
Chief Creative Officer for Nissan, Shiro Nakamura, said that the Juke’s offbeat character will be used to full effect in order to differentiate it, citing an “edgy and less mainstream” design. It’s unclear, though, how far Nissan will be willing to go with it’s attempt to funk-up the Juke, or whether how much that will extend to the car’s interior.
Underpinning this second-gen Juke will move to an all-new platform, eschewing the Nissan B underpinnings that was originally called to action back in 2002. Using the newer Renault-Nissan modular architecture, Nissan will have much more room to develop the Juke and offer clever packaging solutions as well as new powertrain options that includes a possible hybrid.
Nakamura expanded on the hybrid theory, all but confirming its imminence, saying: "It is very tough to meet our emissions requirements without hybrid. It is almost mandatory.”
It’s also unknown at this point whether this new Juke will expand in size under the new platform as Nissan will have the option of offering it as a larger vehicle in the hopes of capturing more customers. However, it is quite likely that, in addition to the hybrid powertrain, the Juke will also be offered with a similar array of small turbocharged petrol and diesel engines – likely carried over from the current Juke.
Nissan previously unveiled the Gripz Concept in September 2015, where they merged a crossover with a compact coupe. The dimensions and stance do have a resemblance to the Juke, sparking debate as to whether Nissan would use this as a reference point to unveil either a Juke variant or an all-new model. Now, nearly a year later, stirrings of an all-new Juke are starting to surface.
For more on Nissan vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
