Nissan Juke Nismo a chance for Australia

Nissan Australia CEO Bill Peffer told CarAdvice he believes it makes sense to leverage the brand's association with Nismo (Nissan Motorsports International) to add more excitement to the local line-up.

"That's something we look at regularly and it’s certainly a possibility going forward, given our close ties and development work with Nismo," Peffer said.

“Nismo has been invaluable to us in terms of the technical support to get the VK56 V8 engine up to spec for our 2013 Nissan Altima V8 Supercar.”

The Nissan Juke Nismo is a prime candidate to lead the charge down under, potentially as early as 2014. Peffer said Nissan would wait to see how the market reacted to the standard Nissan Juke following its mid-2013 launch before looking at the Nismo version, which debuted at Le Mans in June.

The Juke Nismo is said to be one of several new Nismo offerings designed to extend the performance brand beyond the factory-tuned Nismo 370Z and associated parts currently marketed in the US.

With an aero package that borrows heavily from the mental Nissan Juke-R as well as 18-inch alloy wheels and a widened track, the Juke Nismo is easily distinguished from the standard Juke crossover.

Power from the Juke Nismo’s turbocharged direct-injection 1.6-litre four-cylinder powerplant peaks at 147kW (up 7kW over the standard car), while torque rises from 240Nm to 249Nm.

Suspension and steering tweaks create a sportier ride and more direct handling, while a torque vectoring system is offered to enhance grip and cornering ability.

A number of automotive brands have enjoyed strong market acceptance in Australia with products from their in-house performance divisions, with Mercedes-Benz AMG and BMW M among the most successful.