It’s no supercar baiting Juke-R, but the Nissan Juke Nismo will be mad enough for most of us. Shown as a concept at Tokyo 2011 and Geneva 2012, the production Nismo tuned Juke made its debut at the ongoing Le Mans 24 Hours race. It will hit the streets in early 2013.
The Nismo aerodynamics kit features lower front and rear bumpers, wider wings and sill side skirts, and a modified grille and tailgate spoiler which control airflow. These reduce front and rear lift without increasing drag, according to Nismo. 18-inch alloys with fat tyres offer improved grip.
Under the hood is a tuned-up version of the standard 1.6 litre direct injection turbo engine, although outputs were not revealed. It’s bound to be quick, since the existing MR16DDT already has 190 PS and 240 Nm, good enough for 0-100 km/h in 8.0 seconds in a 2WD six-speed manual Juke.
They also threw in stiffened suspension and steering mods for “sportier direct handling” and improved traction control. The Juke Nismo will also be available with torque vectoring.
The Nismo treatment continues inside, where the steering wheel, pedals, gauges, gear knob and door trim have been redesigned. Special suede-trimmed Nismo sports seats with red stitching take the place of the standard chairs. No images of the cabin were released, but you can view live pics of the concept’s cabin here.
The Juke Nismo will be built in Sunderland, UK alongside the standard Juke. European sales start in January 2013. Japan and America will get it, but at a later date.
