Made in Sunderland: Nissan Juke teased ahead of launch

New images of the new Nissan Juke have been revealed as it completes its final stages of road testing ahead of its launch in September.

Taking to the Millbrook testing track in the UK with a camouflaged exterior, there are elements of the new design hidden, but the stage is set for its return to the B-SUV segment.

Designed in Europe, the new Juke will be manufactured at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland. Nissan has built cars at the manufacturing site since 1986, and is located five miles from the Port of Tyne where international distribution is based.

The plant reached 10 million vehicles made from its production line in June, a significant milestone for the car maker. It means on average a new car has been built in Sunderland every two minutes since production started in 1986.

On the 25^th July Nissan announced plans to cut 12,500 jobs globally over the next three years. Nissan employs 8,000 workers in Sunderland, however it appears Sunderland has avoided further redundancies.

The Financial Times reported that the global job cut announcement includes the initial round of 2,420 job cuts in the US and Mexico, 2,540 in India and Indonesia, 880 in Japan, and 470 in Spain. Trade union sources said in July they were hopeful no more redundancies would take place at Sunderland on top of 500 voluntary redundancies already taking place.

The Juke has brought together talented Nissan designers across Europe to work together on its evolution.

Before the official unveiling in early September, Nissan has revealed:

• Sleek coupe lines, striking 19” alloy wheels and athletic stance that set a new standard in compact crossover design


• Inspiration for the new Juke design development has been tailored around B-SUV customer demands for leading design, latest tech and ‘fun to drive’ performance


• Loaded with empowering tech, Juke becomes the third Nissan model to feature ProPILOT technology, which forms part of the Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision


• The footprint of new Juke has increased in size to provide greater ‘roominess’ and comfort for the driver and passengers, without losing its agile driving style

Having led the B-SUV segment with the first model, the new Juke is appealing to the growing number of drivers opting for that car segment.