Nissan name new Crossover model

Nissan has confirmed the launch of a new Crossover model ahead of its unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

New model will sit between the Note and the Qashqai when it goes on sale in October. Based on the Qazana concept car revealed at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, the new model named ‘Juke’ will be Nissan’s fourth crossover vehicle.

A small hatchback, the Juke has been designed to combine ‘agile handling, driving pleasure and user friendly technology but not at the expense of practicality and convenience’.

“These unique attributes will allow Juke to occupy a unique corner of the European market,” said Simon Thomas, Nissan’s European Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing.

“Nissan caught the mood of the European car-buying public with Qashqai crossover and we’ve worked hard to study the market in the same way for Juke to be sure we meet the needs of European customers. We’re confident that Juke will bring a new generation of customers to Nissan, in the same way that Qashqai did. Our philosophy of challenging conventions with Qashqai has been a huge success. We’ve just reached the 500,000 landmark and we’re applying many of the lessons learned from Qashqai to Juke. We’re confident we’ll have another success on our hands,” added Simon Thomas.

Juke will be manufactured alongside the Qashqai, Qashqai+2 and Note at Nissan’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Sunderland, Great Britain.

With the introduction of Murano in the US in 2003, the Crossover concept was introduced to consumers who were looking for a vehicle that combined the dynamic design and handling characteristics of a passenger car, but with the added benefit of all-wheel drive traction and the improved visibility of a raised seating position, but without the boxy shape of an SUV.

In Europe, the introduction in 2007 of Nissan’s Qashqai heralded the mainstream introduction of the Crossover concept for the first time, providing an alternative to the traditional C-Segment offering. In just over two-and-a-half years, half-a-million have sold in Europe.

Full details of Juke are expected to be released on 10th February 2010.

Author: Faye Sunderland, January 7th, 2010
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