NEW NISSAN JUKE PROTOTYPE SPIED LOOKING MORE LIKE A LEAF

Like it or not, the Nissan Juke had one thing seriously lacking in the small crossover department: A unique style all its own. The bug-eyed front lamps of the first-generation Juke set it apart from everything else on the market in 2011. That didn't help sales in the US, which is why it disappeared in 2017, but it did get a second-generation everywhere else. And it kept that same strange face with massive lights that looked more like rally lights than traditional main beams.

Now there's a third-generation on the way and the CarBuzz spy photographers have just captured it. Looking sadly dull with normal front lamps, as Nissan has juked its own design team jiving to a new model that will make fans of the old model wail.

New Juke Looks More Like A Leaf

The latest spy photos show a new Juke that's incredibly well-covered with a camouflage wrap. Nissan's combination of shapes and the origami cranes that cover the wrap have done a better job of hiding the crossover details than just about any we've ever seen before.

Still, there are some things you can't hide. Like the headlights, which are now absolutely tiny units mounted high on the nose instead of low-down like past Jukes. They're also not round, or at least they're trying very hard not to show it. The entire front of the new model is very upright and tall. Even the parking sensors are mounted high-up, in line with the top of the wheels.

From the side, the new Juke has some details from the latest Leaf. Note the rear door handles mounted in the pillar section of the door, not at the usual beltline location. The front door handles are flush-mounted, retracting into the body.

Nissan's new wheel design is very ornate. It's almost like an art deco manhole cover, with just some tiny vents to help make the cover more aerodynamic while still cooling the brakes as needed.

There Are Some Old Juke Details

The details most like the Juke of old are at the rear. First, it has the sharp and protruding shoulders. That's where the rear of the vehicle ends and stays flared out instead of tapering in toward the hatch. It also has a set of massive round taillamps. It appears as though Nissan has put the old Juke's giant headlights at the back and added a red lamp instead of clear. The end result is a vehicle that is much closer to the Hyper Punk concept from 2023 than we ever could have expected.

There are some more conventional taillights mounted higher in the fenders, making us curious to see what this will look like. Are those lower portals just reflectors? Are the top lights limited to the signals? We'll have to wait and see.

We won't have to wait to know what powers the new Juke. The model shares a platform with the Leaf EV, and it will also be electric. No word on motor or battery size, but the Leaf offers up to 303 miles from its 75 kWh pack along with 214 horsepower from the larger of its two single-motor configurations.

A debut for European markets will likely come some time in the first half of 2026.

2025-12-09T04:54:45Z