2011 Tokyo Auto Show: First Look: 2012 Nissan Juke Nismo
By Ben Timmins
Nissan's Juke crossover already has a turbocharged, direct-injected engine and is available with a manual transmission, but for people with even sportier tastes, it looks like Nissan has a concept car for you: the Nismo Juke.
Nissan's Nismo tuning house has made its name tuning racecars, and this year was no different, with the Japanese team scoring wins in Japanese Super GT, FIA GT-1, and 24 Hours of Le Mans racing series. But the brand has also fettled with Nissan's more pedestrian products, like the 370Z. After its success in 2011, Nismo made the decision to expand the brand.
Its first project is the Nismo Juke concept car, which will show at this week's Tokyo Motor Show in Japan. Like its distant relative the Juke-R concept, it wears a sportier exterior with a lower stance, more flared wheel arches, and a full aero kit with a lower front valance, side skirts, and a rear diffuser.
Nissan hasn't released any specifications about the car yet, so it's unclear if the 1.6-liter turbo-direct-injected engine has received any tuning, but seeing as the naturally aspirated Nismo 370Z has 18 more horsepower than its stock counterpart, we wouldn't be surprised if the Nismo Juke is a bit quicker than its standard sibling as well.
It's also unclear if this pumped-up model will ever make it to showroom floors. Again, like the Juke-R, Nissan says that it will consider production plans if the public responds to it well. So if you're in the Tokyo area, do us a favor: go look at the car and put in a good word.
Credit: Automobile Magazine (www.automobilemag.com)
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