By Daniel Golson April 14, 2026 4:50 pm EST
Nissan
I think now more than ever before, we're living in a time where cars on the road look like they're concepts, or something from the future, and that's the case across pretty much all segments and price classes. Improvements in lighting technology, manufacturing processes, and materials have opened up totally new possibilities; Nissan never could have produced something with the Juke's stamping a decade ago. Designers of city cars are able to have some of the most fun, and the team that worked on the Juke really just went for it. As you can see from the embedded video, it seems like it'll look even more outrageous in person.
Nissan says the Juke is "agile, compact, and unmistakably Nissan," and I do have to agree. It looks totally fresh and unlike really anything else, but it does remind me of some of my favorite Nissan concepts, and some cars like the Pao. As my colleague Logan correctly put it, the Juke would definitely be a Rock-type Pokémon. The faceted design theme is used on every body panel and exterior element, from the headlight shape to the wheel arch surrounds to the plastic bumpers to the taillights to the spoiler to the wheels.
On sale in Europe next year
Nissan
It looks like a robotic frog from the front, and I especially love the eyebrow lights. The peaked surfacing gives the Juke a really athletic stance for such a tiny crossover, and the absurd number of creases — I count at least fifteen on just the doors — catch the light in really cool ways. Like Europe's Toyota C-HR and some other competitors, the Juke is shown here with a two-tone black band across the C-pillar. That color split hides the taillights, and lower in the bumper are large light pods that look like afterburners.
Nissan
I really appreciate how the swaths of black plastic exterior trim have an interesting texture and how the arches have a distinct shape. One of my favorite design details is the slanted Juke badging against the tailgate. The spoiler and charging flap seem to have either a pattern or maybe some small text on them, but it's hard to tell. We've also got no clue what the inside looks like yet, but I hope it's even half as nuts as the outside.
The new Juke rides on the same CMF-EV platform as the Leaf, and while we don't have any specs yet, its powertrains and performance should be pretty similar. Nissan says it'll have vehicle-to-grid technology, but that's about the extent of what else we know. It will be built at Nissan's Sunderland factory in the UK, with European sales set to start in early 2027.