NEW DELHI - Nissan is no stranger to the compact SUV scene and you could even say that its Juke was an early pioneer in its size category, along with the Ford EcoSport.
But with the Juke being a relatively upmarket offering mainly aimed at Europe, Nissan is now turning its focus to the tax-incentivised ‘sub-four-metre’ Indian SUV market with an all-new model aimed directly at the Hyundai Venue and its upcoming Kia Sonet cousin, as well as the popular Ford EcoSport.
While the new SUV is described by Nissan as its first “made for India compact SUV”, the company also refers to it as a global product, and given its guaranteed availability in right-hand-drive, it’s very likely that the newcomer would eventually make its way to South Africa too.
The official teaser sketch above is certainly a promising indication of the kind of style we can expect from the little Nissan when it debuts later this year, although little else has been officially confirmed at this stage.
IndianAutosBlog
reports that the new compact will be based on the Alliance’s CMF-A+ platform, while also being twinned with an upcoming Renault product, while power is likely to come from the new 1-litre turbopetrol engine that recently made its debut in the Nissan Micra.
In terms of cabin gadgets it should pack most of the latest features available from the Japanese brand. “Nissan’s new SUV features the latest technology as a part of Nissan Intelligent Mobility, the company’s vision as to how vehicles are powered, driven and integrated into society,” Nissan said.
In other Nissan SUV news, it appears that the company is also fast-tracking its next-generation Qashqai and X-Trail models.
According to
, Nissan is set to reveal new versions of both the Qashqai and X-Trail by the end of this year, and the newcomers will boast bolder designs as well as hybrid technology in many of the variants. Nissan will also release a more upmarket all-electric SUV to go up against the Mustang Mach-E, the UK publication reports.