The wild Nissan Hyper Punk Concept unveiled at the recent Japan Mobility Show is expected to influence the design of the next-generation Juke which will morph into an EV.
Nissan plans to have 19 battery-electric vehicle models in its range by 2030 and it is understood the future Juke EV will slot below the next-generation Leaf that will morph into a crossover, as well as the larger Ariya. It will take on the likes of the electric Hyundai Kona, the Kia EV3, and the Jeep Avenger while retaining a similarly bold design to the first and second-generation models.
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Given that Nissan has not released any teaser images of the vehicle, it is difficult to know what it will look like. However, Auto Express speculates that the vertical LED daytime running lights of the Hyper Punk Concept could find their way into production as would the sharp black fender flares and the sharp, angular surfaces. Like the current Juke, the rear door handles could remain hidden in the C-pillars.
The future Juke EV is tipped to be underpinned by the CMF-B EV architecture also set to be used by the Renault 5 and Nissan Micra where it will be offered in 40 kWh and 52 kWh guises. The large statue of the Juke should allow Nissan to increase the size of the battery capacity to better rival the Kia EV3 that is tipped to offer 58 kWh and 77.4 kWh packs. Renault’s chief technology officer Gilles le Borgne has confirmed the new crossover will use nickel manganese cobalt chemistry despite Nissan also working on solid-state batteries.
“The next Leaf, the next Juke, the next Micra, the [Renault] 5 and R4 will stick to this chemistry,” he said.
Other details about the Juke EV’s powertrain are less certain. Auto Express rightly notes that a single-motor, front-wheel drive model is the most likely but it’s possible that a dual-motor, all-wheel drive setup similar to the Ariya could be offered in the flagship model.
