Nissan Juke gears up for launch

Nissan Australia's website has a dedicated Juke page, which says the vehicle is "coming soon" with details and pictures of the car and the ability for potential owners to register their interest.

At last year's Sydney motor show, Nissan Australia CEO Bill Peffer changed the company's stance on the Juke and confirmed the car's Australian arrival for later this year. That timeline is now getting closer and Nissan is expected to launch a comprehensive Juke range that will include front-wheel and all-wheel drive variants, with three engine choices.

We believe the Nissan Juke will be offered in two 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engines locally and the 1.5-litre turbo diesel, which is available in Europe, will not make it down under. The petrol turbo has 140kW and 240Nm of torque, followed in outputs by the diesel (81kW/240Nm) and the standard 1.6-litre petrol (86kW/158Nm), which will be the heart of the base model. Pricing is set to start from low-to-mid $20,000s.

The Nissan Juke has been a great success in Europe and Japan with the mini SUV already on sale in New Zealand as well. It's currently being produced in Sunderland, United Kingdom where Australian delivered vehicles will be sourced from.

The Juke's popularity has led to numerous variants and special editions of the car for different global markets, including Nissan's performance team utilising a Nissan GT-R engine for a Nissan Juke R.

Will the quirky Nissan Juke work for the Australian market?