Nissan Juke News

Nissan Australia hopes that its Juke Nismo performance SUV, which will go on sale locally in October, will help the standard Juke bounce back on the sales charts.

Nissan's two-strong Nismo family is about to get a new member in Australia, with the performance-focused Juke Nismo to hit dealerships in October.

Citroen C4 Cactus petrol with auto transmission is set for Australia.

Nissan has unveiled plans for a full NISMO assault on the Australian market, with as many as three performance-tuned models to launch locally in 2017.

It's early days yet for the fallout from Brexit but there may be a completely unexpected impact in Australian car showrooms.

Bad bluetooth is becoming a major turn-off in showrooms and Nissan has the numbers to prove it.

Technology from cars is being used in undersea exploration.

The personalisation packs in this week's midlife makeover now provide contrasting colours for everything from the wheel trims to the speaker surrounds.It is a Mini-esque approach to tailoring the look of the already outrageous vehicle and one that should be a popular — and profitable — addition to the accessories list.The nose gets Nissan's "V-motion" grille and a stronger, reshaped lower bumper/air intake. The side mirrors carry the indicator repeaters. Front-drive versions get 40 per cent more boot space, at 354L.Prices start at $23,490 for the ST with a new 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo (85kW/190Nm) hooked to a six-speed manual.So there's more bling but no more balanceAdd $1000 for the CVT version, which uses a 1.6-litre rather than the smaller turbo — obviously a pricing strategy given the bigger engine has 32Nm less torque arriving higher up the rev range. Still, you can't have everything.Ti-S models have a 1.6-litre turbo (140kW/240Nm) from $29,790 for the manual. The CVT-equipped variant adds torque-vectoring and all-wheel drive for $33,490.The top-spec duo also gain a 5.8-inch infotainment screen with satnav, digital radio, reversing camera and 360-degree view monitor.So there's more bling but no more balance. The Juke's biggest criticism — a bobbling ride over decent bitumen — is still evident even at low speeds.The Juke remains a carnival ride: garish and fun but not practical enough as a daily driver. Plenty of buyers will pick unconventional looks over ride quality — we'd steer for the likes of a Renault Captur or Skoda Yeti without having to make the compromise.

Nissan is looking to shake its dowdy small car image with a bolder look with elements of its funky small SUVs.

Are you tired of being stuck behind an SUV? If can’t beat em, join em. Paris motor show previews the next big thing on four wheels: pint-sized SUVs for the city.The world’s car makers are rushing to release high-riding hatchbacks that have the commanding view of a family-sized SUV -- but fit in the same size parking space as a Toyota Corolla.SUVs are second only to small cars when it comes to new vehicle sales, and the big brands are finding new ways to fill every possible niche.That means we can expect to see a bunch of tiny-tot SUVs designed for the city, even though they will be dressed up with rugged, go-anywhere looks.Indeed, most city SUVs won’t even have a four-wheel-drive system because they’ll never leave the tarmac.So why are car makers so desperate to get their small SUVs into showrooms? Because buyers are happy to pay a premium for them even though they cost only a fraction more to build than a regular hatchback.Japanese car giant Toyota, the world’s biggest automotive brand, will unveil a city-centric SUV inside enemy territory at this week’s Paris motor show.Even though Toyota is one of the biggest sellers of SUVs on the planet, it has completely missed the march to city-sized softroaders, or “faux-wheel-drives”.Toyota’s swoopy looking “C-HR” concept car is a rather large clue as to what the showroom version will look like when it arrives next year, although no-one knows what ‘C-HR” stands for. “Compact High Rider” perhaps?Even the French, which once revolved against the SUV and vandalized them in the street less than a decade ago, has joined the party.Citroen is poised to unveil the oddly but honestly named “C1 Urban Ride”. It’s a version of its smallest car but with bulging bumpers and slightly taller suspension to give it a macho appearance.Maybe that’s why they’re becoming so popular: blokes need peer approval to buy small cars. Is a Bear Grylls bumper bar enough to get them over the line?Then again, Citroen also released a compact SUV called the Cactus, complete with plastic side mouldings so you don’t get door dings in the shopping centre car park.The Cactus might be made for the urban jungle but it’s not exactly the type of name that would make you want to boast about it.Australians have been at the forefront of the swing to super-small softroaders.Already on sale locally are the Suzuki S-Cross, Holden Trax, Ford EcoSport and Nissan Juke, all priced between $20,000 and $30,000 (when the cars on which they are all based start at less than $20,000).Around the corner are the Honda HR-V and Fiat Panda Cross. Next month Mazda is due to unveil a SUV to slot under the top-selling CX-5.South Korean car maker Hyundai is also working on a super-small SUV, which should be in showrooms in 2016.Meanwhile, for those who think motor shows should always be about high performance exotic supercars, fear not, although the definition of supercar has changed slightly.Lamborghini is preparing to unveil its first ever hybrid sports-car, while Porsche is about to unveil its first ever plug-in hybrid SUV.Porsche’s two-tonne luxury SUV sips less fuel than a Prius -- providing it has enough charge to travel the first 50km on electric power alone before the petrol engine takes over.More affordable eye candy, however, will come in the form of the first ever motor show outing for the new Mazda MX-5 (the world’s top-selling two-seater roadster), and Jaguar XE sedan (no relation to the Ford Falcon from the 1980s of the same name).