Nissan will put the Juke on NISMO-brand steroids.
The Nissan Juke has proven wildly popular, selling more than 232,000 copies in its brief time on the market. Now, bets the number two Japanese maker, it could build up demand by pumping up performance.
The Nissan Juke NISMO will be the most mainstream model yet to wear the maker’s performance badge, said CEO Carlos Ghosn during a Tokyo Motor Show preview, calling the compact crossover, “a logical platform to take NISMO…in a mainstream product range.”
Brazilian-born Ghosn didn’t have much more to say about the Nissan Juke NISMO Concept, though a press release fills in a few blanks about the prototype, which starts off with a lower, wider and decidedly more aggressive look than the more mainstream crossover.
Finished in NISMO’s traditional shades of pearl white with red accents, the NISMO-designed bumpers and fender skirts, grille, spoiler and even door mirrors have all been tweaked by the performance team to enhance aerodynamics.
The Nissan Juke NISMO’s suspension has been stiffened and lowered, the prototype sitting on special 19-inch wheels and tires.
Inside, everything from the gauge cluster to the pedals and wheels have been given the NISMO touch.
The stock 1.6-liter powertrain gets some upgrades, though Nissan isn’t offering up specifics about power – which is certainly going to come in well below the 500 horsepower of the special, 500-hp Juke-R the maker is producing, stuffing a Nissan GT-R engine under the hood. (For more on the Juke-R, Click Here.)
We’re expecting to hear more about a production Juke NISMO in the near future. And it’s clear Nissan is looking to deliver more power to more people in the coming years.
Also on the Tokyo Motor Show stand was a NISMO-modified Nissan Leaf, showing that even battery cars can kick out the jams.
Significantly, the NISMO sub-brand is about to get an all-new headquarters in the Tokyo suburb of Tsurumi, not far from Nissan’s corporate offices in the port city of Yokohama.