New Nissan Juke to get wild design as it goes all-electric

Although it’s set to share many key elements with the latest Leaf under the skin, as our exclusive images illustrate, it will retain the quirky styling that’s been so popular on the petrol-powered Juke.

Just like the original Nissan Juke, the fresh EV will push the boundaries of design, compromising on cabin space and practicality to achieve a dramatic, eccentric look that will make it stand out from its many rivals. It’s a project that’s now well into its development, and we already had an understanding of what it could look like, thanks to the Hyper Punk concept car from the 2023 Tokyo Mobility Show.

However, after speaking with some of Nissan’s top brass, we now have an even clearer picture of the sort of car we’re due to see next year, with prototypes from the Japanese company’s European technical centres already on the road.

Shunsuke Shigemoto, Nissan’s vice president of electromobility, told us: “In terms of the wheelbase, it won’t change [compared with the Leaf] because we have to cope with the battery size. [Yet] for the rest, we have quite good flexibility.

“Externally, the height can drastically change, even if we use the same platform. So we do have a lot of flexibility in terms of [the] interior and exterior for the Juke. It’s a more emotional product.”

This will have significant consequences for the look of the car. As our exclusive images show, while the underpinnings might be shared with the Leaf, more extreme bodywork and new dimensions will lead to a dramatically different design. The wheels will be bigger, the tracks wider and the roof lower, giving the new Juke similar proportions to the Hyper Punk concept.

The sheet metal itself will be equally wild, with a structure of connected flat shapes. Shigemoto explained: “The design theme is polygons, like you would see in [the popular video game] Fortnite, and all these kinds of things. It’s more [geared] towards standing out, unique design, as the Juke has always been. “We’re just trying to carry on the DNA of the Juke,” he added.

This is reflected in a number of aspects that take direct inspiration from the two generations of ICE Jukes that precede it. Key design elements such as the squared-off headlights and secondary daytime running lights will define the face.

However, without the need to worry about traditional air intakes, Nissan will take the front-end graphics even further and integrate an illuminated badge. These ideas are confirmed by the prototype Juke  EV spied previously, with only small intakes mounted low down on the car’s front bumper.

The rear end will be more defined by aerodynamic concerns than before, with a defined ‘kamm’ tail, or sharp edge to the bootlid that helps clean the airflow as it goes over the body. This is similar to the Leaf, but in place of that car’s rear lights – which are almost retro in design – the electric Juke will instead take inspiration from the Hyper Punk concept with quirky, three-dimensional tessellations, or repeating patterns, across the rear lights and lower bumper.

The Juke’s comparatively large wheels will grow for its all-electric variant, with wheel sizes possibly increasing to as much as 20 inches for that concept car-like look. A wide variety of bright colours and contrasting panels will also be offered, again giving the upcoming Juke a more distinctive package than the sleek new Leaf.