New Nissan Juke revealed with sharp origami-inspired design and EV power

The all-new electric Nissan Juke, unveiled today in Japan, is the Japanese back at its “disruptive” best.

That’s the view of Nissan Europe vice president Jordi Vila, speaking exclusively to Auto Express at Nissan’s Grandrive test centre south of Yokohama.

The small SUV – which Nissan calls the third-generation Juke, even though the current petrol and hybrid sister models live on – is marked out by its edgy and modernist exterior design clothing a totally different bodyshell. And this differentiation continues beneath the skin, with the Juke EV having more in common with the marque’s new Leaf crossover, sharing a modified version of its CMF-EV platform. 

Nissan’s new baby will be a rival for small electric SUVs including the Renault 4, Kia EV2, Skoda Epiq and VW ID. Cross. 

Pilot production of the new EV begins this week at Nissan’s UK plant in Sunderland, where it will join its combustion-engined siblings, plus the Leaf and Qashqai, on the production lines. But the car’s commercial launch isn’t until spring 2027, which is why Nissan is keeping much of the technical information – and the interior – under wraps for now. 

“The new Juke is a key model for Nissan Europe,” Vila told us. “We are proud we invented the crossover in Europe with Qashqai and this model helps us come back with a disruptive approach to the segment.”
 

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Nissan Juke design 

The most dramatic aspect is its exterior styling, clearly inspired by Japanese origami. The 2023 Hyper Punk concept previewed this geometric surfacing, around the same time Vila viewed proposals for the production car in Nissan’s Atsugi Global Design Centre. “There were several versions and we had very polarising, nice discussions,” Vila explained. “I’m very glad with which one was chosen: it’s bold, a design with no compromise, like in the past when we launched this type of vehicle.” 

Apparently Nissan’s manufacturing experts took one look at the design and began scratching their heads at the complexity of the stampings. But the Sunderland manufacturing team has come through to enable the extreme surfacing. “The result is very genuine [next to the Hyper Punk], we haven’t put water in the wine,” the European VP told us.

Batteries and powertrain

As with the new Leaf, the Juke will come with a choice of standard and long-range batteries. The 4.35m-long Leaf’s liquid-cooled NMC batteries are 52kWh and 75kWh in capacity. These will be right-sized for the smaller, circa-4.2m Juke EV. 

Expect a more nimble driving experience than the Leaf, too. “The tuning of the vehicle is adapted to the segment,” explained Vila. “The Juke is not only disruptive from a style standpoint, but it’s also very interesting, very fun to drive.” 

The Leaf’s three-in-one power unit – which also combines the motor, inverter and gearbox – will also be used, but likely detuned from the C-segment crossover’s 174bhp and 215bhp power outputs.

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Interior and technology

With the Juke having a different platform and body-in-white, the proportions differ from the petrol and hybrid Mk2 version. “It’s slightly bigger and I would say it looks bigger, that’s a significant difference,” said Vila. It all adds up to a more spacious cabin, a benefit of the EV powertrain compared with the combustion-engined car’s. 

“The new-generation car also has all the improvements in terms of tech, connectivity and comfort,” added the 37-year Nissan stalwart. The Juke will offer the Leaf’s twin 14.3-inch driver display and central touchscreen, powered by Google software. It’s capable of over-the-air (OTA) software updates, while Google Maps provides seamless navigation to minimise charge stops to reach your destination.

While the Leaf will entice more user-choosers, Vila sees the electric Juke as a more retail proposition, attracting young families and empty nesters.

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