Dramatic edge to derivative look - but is that enough to jolt NZ into involving?

ELECTRIC cars being scratched from Nissan’s local menu just a week before pump prices went wild might stand as one of the biggest motoring faux pax of the year.

However, perhaps the announcement of a new Juke that’s the first to re-instate as an electric car could cause a u-turn of a policy that dumped the Ariya and has put the Leaf on hold for an indefinite period.

Comment has been sought from Nissan New Zealand.

The third generation car’s unveiling overnight was just a reveal of the wild styling; although it is on the same 'CMF-EV' platform as the Leaf and Ariya, it’s not yet clear whether drivetrain choice will be exactly the same.

Battery sizes, range and performance figures are all yet to be shared.

Conjecture out of the United Kingdom, where it is built - in the same Sunderland plant that has always suppled NZ-market Leaf (and was poised to deliver the new one) - is that could potentially get the Leaf's optional 75kWh battery pack, which would give it a possible range of over 600km.

That would be a flagship car, with others expected to take a 57kWh choice, with a likely range of around 450km.

This reveal was only of the exterior styling; an introduction to the Juke’s interior. But if it’s half as funky as the exterior … then wow, right!

Nissan has been promising that this new generation of Juke was going to have dramatic styling, in keeping with the model's legacy since its original launch in 2010.

It’s patently recognisably a Juke in its silhouette - keeping a high bonnet leading to a swept-back cabin with a sloping rear roofline and distinct haunches - but the detailing is where it really leaps out. In commenting on the multiple facets to each body panel, one event attendee said it was “almost as if the Juke hasn't been assembled so much as grown from a crystal.”

The Japanese giant describes the Juke's new look as 'Marmite” and knows that it will put some people off. But that’s not a risk. The two previous Juke generations have built up a solid 1.5-million strong fanbase.

For a while this car is set to sell alongside the current hybrid-engined Juke, which is due a heavy update, but ultimately it’s going to be the full replacement.

Confidence in the car is high. Obviously, electric car sales interest has been reignited by the Middle East uncertainty, but even without that there’s thought the car is going to attract a fan base.

Says Nissan's regional vice president in charge of its European operations, Clíodhna Lyons: “Juke has always stood for bold design and a willingness to challenge convention.

“With this third generation, we are bringing that spirit into the electric age. As our first fully electric Juke, it will help us reach new customers while expanding choice across our electrified range.”

The Juke reveal is the first new production action since a change at the top for Nissan New Zealand, where Sriram (Sri) Padmanabhan is about to start as the new country head.

An appointment effective April 27 was announced on April 2 and described then as a “significant move … expected to bring fresh perspectives and innovative strategies to the company, propelling it forward in the competitive New Zealand market.”

He succeeds Jenni Martin, who chose to step down from the role.