New Nissan Juke to be unveiled in summer 2019

MANILA: The next-generation Nissan Juke, one of the most anticipated crossover cars from the Japanese automaker, is all set to be unveiled in summer next year. Since its first launch back in 2011, the Nissan Juke has been a big success story for Nissan. It arguably sparked the trend of mini, crossover-SUVs that have since become a major segment in several countries. However, having triggered a trend of sorts, the Juke now has stiff competition from peers like Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008. Even premium vehicles like Audi Q2 is now a Nissan competitor, which has compelled the Yokohama headquartered company to revise its manufacturing formula.  

Nissan Juke is an easily recognisable vehicle on the road, courtesy its distinctive moon buggy design. While the car has close competition from its own cousin the Nissan Kick, which has already replaced Juke in several markets including the US, the company still found it prudent to come up with a new version of the crossover-SUV.

The B-segment new Juke crossover was slated to debut in September this year, but was delayed because of several internal issues in the company. The arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn, on allegations of under-reporting his salary by several thousand dollars for more than five years, was one of these issues. That aside, the company’s goodwill was badly hit due to a quality control scandal.

Still, with several months to go before the car is unveiled, the new Nissan Juke will have ample time to incorporate the brand’s latest technologies.

The new Juke, like the Nissan March, will be built on the Common Modular Platform B (CMF-B). It’s a departure from the B0 platform which dates back to the first days of the Renault-Nissan partnership. The car is expected to be powered by a turbocharged naturally-aspirated 0.9-litre or 1.0-litre petrol motor, or the four-pot 1.5-litre turbodiesel variant. Like the outgoing Nissan Juke, the new crossover-SUV model is likely to be topped by a 190 hp power output.

Nissan chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura told the media that while the new car will be “edgy and less mainstream,” it can be distinctly recognised as a Juke.