Nissan Juke News

Toyota-owned badge Daihatsu retired from our market in 2005, but a void in Toyota’s line-up could see some of the Daihatsu product return in the form of the small Terios SUV rebadged as a Toyota Rush.Toyota is keen to capitalise on a growing sub $25,000 compact SUV market segment. Sales are thriving, with a new Nissan Juke, Suzuki SX4, Holden Trax, Ford EcoSport and Fiat Panda all joining the Mitsubishi ASX in the search for a slice of the market. Toyota doesn’t currently have a competitor in this segment, with the bigger RAV4 starting at $28,490.But Toyota has an advantage in this rivalry: It owns Daihatsu – Japan’s oldest car manufacturer and small car specialist. The first generation Daihatsu Terios sold in Australia between 1997 and 2005, creating the same compact 5-door SUV segment that is now thriving. But the current model never made it to our shores due to Daihatsu’s local retirement.Toyota has successfully sold the Rush in overseas markets for over a decade, and the current model since its introduction in 2006. It is powered by an 80kW, 141Nm 1.5-litre VVT-I engine, featuring a five speed manual and four speed automatic. But unlike other cars in this segment, it has permanent four-wheel drive and a central differential lock, which combined with short overhangs, gives the Rush more offroad credibility than most of its competitors.However, a two wheel drive version is also on offer, for buyers who prefer the extra height and space but not the extra capability of a small SUV. With a kerb weight of just 1180kg for the four wheel drive model, the Rush is a relative lightweight, which should help keep running costs low.If Toyota Australia decides to tackle the compact SUV market with the Rush, it will be the first time a car manufactured by Daihatsu is sold in Australia since 2005. However, a new Rush is expected sometime next year, featuring improvements to power, safety and refinement. This means it’s likely Toyota Australia will wait until then to introduce the Rush into Australian showrooms. 

Nissan is stoking up its sports car mojo. It's developing the next-generation GT-R, looking at developing the IDx Concept, and has unveiled a slew of hot variations of the GT-R, Juke and Pulsar from its Nismo tuning arm.So what's happening with the Z car, with the 370Z having been around for six years and starting to now look a little long in the tooth against new rivals like the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ?Expect to see a departure from the current car, with a smaller vehicle powered by a similarly downsized engine -- a turbo-charged four-cylinder, according to Autocar -- rather than the 3.7-litre V6 carried by the 370Z. Power is likely to slightly rise over the six's 245kW, while torque will likely at the least match its 363Nm, depending on the expected lighter weight of the new Z (the 370Z rings the bell at 1468kg).The design is yet to be signed off but Nissan design boss Shiro Nakamura confirmed to the Britsh site that a plan was already in place and that the coming Z "could be smaller" while product chief Andy Palmer pointed to the turbo four engine, adding that we'll see both a standard version and a Nismo one.With Nissan Australia still working on a business case for the Nismo offerings, there's no certainty we'll see that model here, but we're sure to get the cooking Z, following in the footsteps of the 370Z that arrived first in 2009, and a lineage of 44 years that stretches all the way back to the Datsun 240Z in 1970.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Nissan revealed the hottest version yet of its Juke baby crossover in  LA this week, in the form of the Juke Nismo RS. Outputs for the 1.6-litre turbo have been boosted to 160kW/285Nm, representing a 13kW/35Nm over the existing Juke Nismo available overseas.   The gains are a result of ECU adnd exhaust tweaks, and and LSD has been added along with tighter ratios for the the six-speed manual version.  The ride height has been reduced, with stiffer components and extra bracing, plus revised steering and bigger brakes. With the regular Juke Nismo still under consideration for Australia, it's not likley to arrive on our shores any time soon.    Watch the desktop version of the Nissan Juke Nismo RS official video here.   _______________________________________  

Nissan has given the Juke baby crossover a serious performance boost with the Nismo RS version revealed at Los Angeles motor show. It follows the styling cues of the Nismo sold overseas, but gets a slightly more aggressive body kit with red and black accents, with those colours continuing into the leather and Alcantara interior set off by carbon-look trims. But the more welcome news is that the Juke's 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine has been poked to now put out 160kW of power and 285Nm of torque -- a respectable lift from the current standard Juke top-spec Ti-S's 140kW/240Nm (and the 147kW/250Nm of the slightly warmer Nismo in overseas markets). The poking largely took the form of a reprogrammed CPU and larger-breather exhaust, but the transmissions weren't left out. The six-speed manual gearbox also gets shorter lower ratios and a limited-slip differential to better deliver the outputs to the front wheels. Paddle-shifters have been added to the all-wheel drive version's continuously variable transmission, but the downside to the auto is reduced outputs of 158kW and 250Nm. The good news is that handling is sharpened by reprogramming for the torque-vectoring system. The RS sits lower than the standard Juke and gets a stiffer chassis with extra bracing, with other underpinning tweaks including more responsive electric power steering, and larger front and vented rear brakes -- all wearing red calipers. Nissan hasn't announced which markets it will roll out to -- or when -- but with the standard Juke having only recently arrived here, and the current Nismo still a 'business case in progress' for Nissan Australia, it could be a while before we can get our hopes up of seeing the Nismo RS here.   Watch the desktop version of the Nissan Juke Nismo RS official video here.   This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott   _______________________________________  

Nissan’s uniquely-styled Juke crossover SUV will arrive in Australia in October, staking Nissan's claim on the growing baby SUV segment. The Juke’s Australian arrival will trail its Japanese, US, and European launches by three years, but its innovative styling should easily bridge the age gap to newer rivals such as the Holden Trax (which starts at $23,490), plus the upcoming Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008, plus production versions of the recent Honda Urban SUV and Suzuki iV-4 concepts. Priced from $21,990 for the entry manual Juke ST, the Juke will sit beneath the five-seat Dualis in Nissan’s Australian lineup, with ST-S and Ti-S grades filling out a three-tier model lineup.  The Juke will be available with two engine options, with the 2WD-only ST fitted with a 1.6 litre petrol engine and available in either five-speed manual or ($24,390) CVT auto, while the ST-S and Ti-S will be equipped with a turbocharged version of the same engine as seen in the Pulsar ST-S and SSS hatches. Nissan is yet to specify outputs or efficiency figures for either Juke 1.6, but the non-turbo is rated at 86kW/158Nm for the UK market, and the turbo should match the 140kW/240Nm of the Pulsar models. The $28,390 ST-S is also 2WD-only, and comes exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission. The $32,190 range-topping Ti-S is the sole all-wheel drive variant, and paired with a CVT auto only. Further spec details will be announced closer to the Juke’s October launch, but Nissan Australia’s marketing boss Peter Clissold claims that the Juke’s spec levels will offer buyers good value. “Each grade in the JUKE model range has a compelling mix of standard equipment in a vehicle rich in stand-out styling and dynamic performance,” Clissold says. This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn   PRICING Nissan Juke ST 2WD (manual) - $21,990 Nissan Juke ST 2WD (auto) - $24,390 Nissan Juke ST-S 2WD (manual) - $28,390 Nissan Juke Ti-S AWD (auto) – $32,190

Williams is providing lightweight parts including a new exhaust and carbon-fibre panels, while Nismo is tweaking the twin-turbo V6.The Nismo GT-R is expected in showrooms next year, including Australia, as the flagship of a range that already includes the Micra, Juke and 370Z in Europe.

A fiery division of Nissan is back on the track and expanding its global sales to Australia. A 147kW/249Nm Nissan Juke Nismo, shown this week at the Chicago motor show, could make it here to complement this year's release of the more subdued 140kW/240Nm of the standard Nissan Juke. Australia is said to be interested in the Nismo (it stands for Nissan Motorsport International) lineup that includes the Juke and a hot 370Z. Nissan Australia boss Bill Peffer says he'll wait until the market reacts to the standard Juke before making a decision on the Nismo version which is expected to cost about $36,000. The move pre-empts Nissan's push to overhaul its compact SUV models - Dualis and X-Trail - within 18 months while including the front-wheel drive Juke into the Australian market. But in Chicago, Nissan's global communications manager Simon Sproule indicates the Nismo sales in Australia are a done deal. He says that while the latest Nismo makes up only about 5-10 per cent of Juke sales, it had potential and was considered vital to showcase Nissan's sports-oriented aspirations. "This is really the re-launch of Nismo,'' he says of the release of the Juke edition. "The Juke and the 370Z show Nismo's abilities.'' The Juke Nismo was shown at Chicago with a full body kit that creates 37 per cent more downforce than the standard car. It also has bigger 18-inch wheels and a lowered suspension. Sproule says Nissan is also planning to go one step further with a planned 162kW RC version of the Juke Nismo, with a lowered body, choice of front or all-wheel drive and a more aggressive body styling. "The Juke Nismo was developed and priced to be accessible,'' Sproule says. "We focus on value. "But the RC is coming in about 18 months and it's less compromised car for the more performance-oriented owner.'' Sproule says Nissan has been approached by rally teams that wanted to use the Juke Nismo in competition. "We are very keen to see the Juke enter rallying - it's a sport that has a lot of heritage at Nissan. "But it's not a priority for us to have a factory presence. "We have our hands full with V8 Supercars, Le Mans, Super GT in Japan and through Infiniti, Formula One. "Now is our biggest presence in motorsport ever. "Rallying is undergoing a transition and there are a lot of factory teams competing in WRC. But for now, we can supply the Juke Nismo for independent teams but not for our factory - not yet.'' The 370Z Nismo was launched at Chicago with minor updates over the previous year's car. Compared with a standard 370Z, it has a firmer ride thanks to spring rates that have been increased by 15 per cent, rear spring rates up by 10 per cent, the front stabilizer bar rate is firmer by 15 per cent and the rear stabilizer bar is 50 per cent stiffer. Nissan says the roll stiffness rate has been increased by 15 per cent and front and rear dam ping factors have been increased by 40 per cent and 140 per cent, respectively. It was shown at Chicago with five-spoke Nissan-branded 19-inch RAYS forged aluminium-alloy wheels (19x9.5-inch front, 19x10.5-inch rear) mounted with Yokohama ADVAN Sport Y-rated high-performance tires (P245/40ZR19 front, P285/35ZR19 rear). Brakes are standard Nismo Sport Brakes with larger diameter (than standard) 350mm front and 345mm rear vented rotors with four-piston front and two-piston rear aluminium calipers. The calipers are painted red. No confirmation of sale or price has yet been announced for the 370Z Nismo but in Australia, it's expected to be about $90,000, a $15,000 premium on the standard coupe.  

Holy hot baby SUVs, Batman. Nissan has built a custom Nismo Juke up to Gotham City spec. The Nissan Juke Nismo Dark Knight has been revealed – and will be a competition prize -- just as news arrives that the original TV Batmobile will go under the auction hammer in January. The Juke timing ties in with the latest of the Dark Knight movie series, and the car gets an arsenal of batworthy features. Designed at Nissan’s London ‘batcave’ design studio where the Juke was spawned, the special edition is finished in the matt black of the Dark Knight’s own Tumbler, set off with gloss black wheels and red accents. Bat badges on the grille, tailgate and doorsill kickplates are matched by reflective bat logos on the suede sport seat headrests. Door mirror downlights project the classic bat signal onto the ground while an uplighter in the cabin shines it onto the headlining – which is handy if Bruce Wayne is already in the car with you, but otherwise risks the superhero not getting the message. Based on the Juke Nismo, which goes on sale overseas in January, the Dark Knight features the same 160kW 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with a six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels – and a claimed 0-100km/h time of 7.8 seconds. There’s no mention of the rubber-bullet machine guns and cannon of the Tumbler, or even the rear rocket thruster, Bat Smoke, Bat Photoscope or other features of the TV car – so we don’t think the Tumbler need fear being sent to the scrapheap just yet. The Juke is being offered as a prize in a UK competition. But those for whom the TV Batmobile will always be the only one are bound to keep an eye on bidding when the original car goes up for auction in January. The 1960s TV Batmobile was customised from a one-off 1955 Lincoln Futura concept prototype that was unveiled on the Ford stand at the 1955 Chicago motor show – in a pearlescent blue-white finish. It also later got a red paint makeover for a bit part with Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford in the 1959 movie, It Started With a Kiss. But its life as the Batmobile didn’t start until about five years later, when the TV series brought its air date forward and needed a vehicle within a couple of weeks. The producers dumped the existing car plans and knocked on designer George Barris’s workshop door – behind which the Futura had been gathering dust. The concept car had cost Ford around $250,000, but Barris had bought it from them for a nominal $1 after the Chicago show. He completed the customisation in three weeks – and the Batmobile was born. The car is likely to get bids of more than $2 million when it goes under the hammer in the US on January 19, although auction house Barrett-Jackson has not released an estimate. “The 1966 Batmobile by George Barris is one of the most famous Hollywood cars in history and it has become a true icon that has been carried from generation to generation of Batmobiles to follow,” Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson said. “This vehicle not only marks the significant Bat logo that sits on the middle of its door, but a time in television history where they defied the odds of making a car the real star of the show. It revolutionized an entire industry that followed in its footsteps and we couldn’t be prouder to have it cross our block in Scottsdale as it goes up for sale for the very first time.”      

The crazy looking crossover is confirmed to slide beneath the family-focussed Dualis with a starting price that Carsguide believes will shimmy below $25,000. Nissan claims it will provide an antidote to the boring blandness of small-car showrooms, as it has already done in Europe. "Feeback from buyers is that many of the biggest sellers are unoriginal and uninspiring," the managing director of Nissan Australia, Bill Peffer, tells Carsguide. "Many buyers want something a little different." Peffer is confident the Juke is more than different enough for the job, without sacrificing the practicality promised by its five-door SUV body. "I don't think it's oddball at all. I think it's an exciting car that, like our popular Dualis, will attract many first-time Nissan customers. "As a crossover it will deliver what small-car buyers want - fuel efficiency, agile handling and compact dimensions - but with more driving fun and more space. "We expect the Juke to be a popular model. If Juke's overseas experience is any indication, small-car buyers seeking something new and original will find the Juke very appealing." The boxy Soul from Korea is an obvious opponent but Peffer believes the Juke will have plenty of other rivals. "The Juke will compete with a number of cars, mostly from the small-car and small SUV segment." He avoids any specifics on specification - the Juke is available with four engines including a diesel, as well as front and all-wheel drive - but is happy to hint on pricing without getting into detail. "We've been able to secure the right balance of specification and price. It's too early to reveal any hints about prices but they will be competitive." But the timing for the Juke is already locked. "At present, production for the first Australia-bound Nissan Dukes is scheduled for quarter three in 2013. So, at this stage, we could have the Juke in Nissan showrooms by the end of next year or the start of 2014." He is also hoping Nissan Australia will be able to provide a tasty tease with a guest appearance in Australia of the ultimate Juke - the limited-edition Juke-R that's powered by the twin-turbo V6 engine and all-wheel drive package from the Nissan GT-R supercar. "I'm a car guy. I think a GT-R powered Nissan Juke is a great expression of our brand's excitement so I'm naturally keen to showcase the Juke-R. I'm certain the car-loving Australian public would find it fascinating," Peffer says. "I can't confirm a Juke-R appearance in Australia but, if we do, then expect me to have the keys first."  

Nissan believes the Juke, which would sell against a wide range of trendy rivals including the Kia Soul and Mini Countryman, might be right for Australia as people start looking for something different in a city car. Nissan has included influences from across its line-up for the Juke – which is based on the platform of the previous Micra, and tips the measuring tape at just 4.13 metres long and 1.57 high. It’s available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive overseas, with a choice of four engines: an 81kW 1.5-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder, 80kW 1.5 and 84kW 1.6-litre petrol four-cylinders, and the 140kW turbo petrol four-cylinder that will power the coming Nissan Pulsar SS. Sadly, we’re unlikely to see one here with the 357kW 3.8-litre in the Juke-R – borrowed from the Nissan GT-R – with the top-shelf Juke in a very limited run and selling at around $600,000 on special order. The Juke we get will be far more affordable, with the base model two-wheel drive likely to start somewhere around $25,000, adding a premium for the all-paw version. Nissan Australia spokesman Peter Fadayev says production for our market will begin in the later half of next year, with more details on pricing and spec to be announced closer to launch.