Having just received its world premiere at the Geneva Auto Show, Nissan announced the Juke will be sold in the U.S. and will give the crossover a North American unveiling at a private event just ahead of the NY Auto Show.

Slotting in just underneath the Rogue in Nissan’s lineup, we’re excited to see if the European model’s GTDI (gasoline turbocharged direct injection) 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine, which makes 188-hp and 177 ft-lbs of torque. We’re also interested to see what sort of design changes might be made to the admittedly odd looking ute.

Set to go on sale later this year, pricing has not yet been release yet, but we expect a sub $20,000 entry-level value, considering the price of the Rogue.

We’ll be sure to bring you full details and plenty of live photos on March 31st, on the eve of the NY Auto Show.

GALLERY: Nissan Juke Premiere in Geneva

GALLERY: Nissan Juke

When the Nissan GT-R finally made its way over to the Stateside, people rejoiced that we’d finally be able to get our hands on one of Japan’s finest creations. Over the past couple of decades, the Nissan Skyline GT-R moniker has become infamous and synonymous with performance and excellence. The initial exclusivity and price tag of the GT-R has still made it a rarity to see on the streets. That price has just gone up a little for 2011, with the GT-R now set at $85,060.

Only available in Premium trim, the 2011 GT-R now offers more standard features in the tech department: Bluetooth, USB iPod interface, XM NavWeather and NavTraffic, auto on/off headlamps and speed-sensitive windshield wipers. Changes from 2010 are minimal, with slight tweaks to the suspension, additional clear coat on the front and rear bumpers, new rear cooling ducts and slightly darker wheel center caps.

As we always love saying, why mess with a good thing? And the Nissan GT-R is more than just a good thing. And even at the increased cost, it’s still a bargain.

The official Nissan press release available after the jump.

2010 will mark the beginning of a new era of racing. GT racing goes global with 20 races spanning nine countries across four continents on ten of the world’s leading circuits. Only six manufacturers will compete in the inaugural season of the FIA GT1 World Championship with Nissan being the sole representative from the Land of the Rising Sun. They will be campaigning a quartet of similarly-built GT-Rs, a pair from Sumo Power GT (#22, #23) and the other two from Swiss Racing Team (#3, #4). Drivers Peter Dumbreck and Michael Krumm, for the Sumo Power GT GT-R, and Karl Wendlinger, multiple FIA GT race-winner and driver for Swiss Racing Team were present at the press conference held at the Automobile Club de France in Paris. “I have been racing in the FIA GT Championship for many years, but now I’m very excited about the new world championship – and very happy to be driving the Nissan GT-R,” said Wendlinger.

We’re not surprised that Nissan would be the only bold manufacturer from Japan to campaign in the FIA GT1 World Championship. With all the accolades and accomplishments the GT-R has already received worldwide, a FIA GT1 World Championship would immortalize the GT-R moniker and cement it as one of the world’s finest piece of machinery. Stiff competition will be coming with entries from Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini and Maserati.

Specs for the vehicles according to the FIA GT1 World Championship website declares a minimum weight of 1250kg and a maximum horsepower of 600. With a maximum horsepower imposed as FIA GT1 regulations, Nissan opted for a 5.6L V8 engine that hits the mark of 600 hp with 480 ft-lbs of torque. The GT-Rs will be equipped with extra wide 18×13-inch wheels all around with 6-piston calipers and carbon ceramic brakes peeking behind each one. Stay glued to Autoguide.com as we’ll be keeping a close eye on these GT-Rs on April 16-17th, 2010 where they will debut at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi for the season-opener.

GALLERY: FIA GT1 Nissan GT-R Race Cars

[Source: Nissan News]

Nissan introduced the fourth generation of its Micra small car at the Geneva Auto Show, with hopes the compact car will help the company branch out into emerging markets.

The compact car is built on Nissan’s new V-Platform (V as in “versatile”), which provides Nissan with a base to adapt the Micra to the 160 different countries where it will be sold. The Micra will be manufactured in four locations: Thailand, India, Mexico and China.

Nissan will offer different engines for the Micra, depending on the market.  In Europe, the Micra will have two options, a 1.2L three-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 79 hp, and a supercharged 1.2L direct injection engine with a start-stop system. Both engines come with the option of a five-speed manual transmission or Nissan’s continuously variable transmission system.

Gallery: Nissan Micra

With Nissan set to introduce its new global small car at the Geneva Auto Show tomorrow and the press conference schedule a tight squeeze, the Japanese automaker decided that no formal debut of its new Juke crossover was necessary. As a result, we’ve been able to get a good look at this oddly styled model which Nissan has announced will be offered in North America later this year.

Slotting in underneath the Rogue in Nissan’s North American lineup, the Juke is aimed at winning-over small hatchback buyers with a smaller vehicle that has a more versatile platform.

As controversial as the styling is, we’re excited about this car mainly because of its engine. Nissan has announced that the Juke will come equipped with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder with direct-injection technology – GTDI (gasoline turbocharged direct injection) for short. It also gets variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust side of the engine. Power is rated at 188-hp and 177 ft-lbs of torque, but so far no fuel economy numbers are available. It should, however, undercut all other crossovers, so expect some impressive numbers. Plus, it should undercut the competition in price. With the Rogue currently sitting around the $20,000 mark, we’d have to think a smaller model would be even less.

Nissan’s press conference it set for tomorrow (March 2nd) and we’ll be sure to see if there’s any new news about the Juke then. Nissan has chosen the New York Auto Show at the end of the month to officially debut the U.S.-spec model on American soil.

GALLERY: Nissan Juke

Nissan will unveil its facelifted and updated Pathfinder and Navara (Frontier) models for the European market at the Geneva Auto Show later this week. The style of the trucks has changes to resemble their North American counterparts, with revised grille and bumper assemblies as well as new hoods. New for 2011 are updates to the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder diesel, as well as an impressive new 3.0-liter V6 diesel. The 4-cylinder gets improvements in refinement as well as a slight power increase from 169-hp to 187-hp. Torque is also up, and rated at 332 ft-lbs. Fuel economy gets a marked improvement and is now rated at 27.7 mpg (European test cycle) on average.

The new 3.0-liter V6 delivers a more respectable 235-hp and a very impressive 406 ft-lbs of torque (369 ft-lbs of which is available from 1500 rpm), all while getting 28 mpg (European test cycle) on average.

Both new models will be available in Europe in April, with the 3.0-liter V6 diesel joining the lineup in June.

AutoGuide will bring you more on both trucks from the Geneva Auto Show with coverage starting March 1st.

Click here for AutoGuide’s live Geneva Auto Show coverage starting Monday, March 1st.

GALLERY: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder and Navara (Frontier)

Official release after the jump:

Nissan is about to get back into North American motorsports in big way, competing with a pair of GT-R’s in the 2010 World Challenge GT Class. The cars will be run by Brass Monkey Racing, with assistance by Nissan North America, and will debut on the weekend of March 26-28 in St. Petersburg, FL, competing alongside Corvettes, Vipers and Porsches.

The two cars will be piloted by two-time series winner Tony Rivera and rookie Steve Ott.

Brass Monkey Racing first competed in the World Challenge series last year using a Porsche GT3, winning its first race and finishing third overall.

“We’re very excited to bring such an iconic car to the North American professional road racing scene,” Brass Monkey Racing Team Owner A.J. Brass said. “After such a successful season in 2009, finishing third in the Championship and winning in our very first race, we look forward to the challenge of bringing an entirely new platform to World Challenge. With Nissan’s assistance and great engineering and driving, we expect to contend for the 2010 Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships.”

“Many of the cars in the series have serious modifications to the engines and drivelines from the stock vehicles,” Brass said. “The beauty of the GT-R is that it is an amazing platform to start with and we are able to utilize all of the stock internal components and drivetrain. With the exception of some of the approved series aerodynamic items and an effort to bring the car down to a competitive weight, the car will remain incredibly stock compared to most of our competition.”

Nissan last competed in the World Challenge several years ago in the lower Touring Car class, using a Sentra SE-R Spec V model.

Official release after the jump:

With several teaser images already released of Nissan’s upcoming global small car, the Japanese automaker has now released a video highlighting some of the vehicle’s attributes. According to the video, Nissan has developed a new 3-cylinder engine that displaces just 1.2-liters, which Nissan claims has noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels equivalent to modern 4-cylinder engines.to help out in both areas. There’s no word on power output or expected fuel economy, but the car will use a CVT transmission

The yet unnamed global small car will replace the Micra in other markets, and will come to North America in the near future, slotting in beneath the Versa. It sits on Nissan’s all-new V-platform which was designed to be flexible for different versions of the car in different markets.

We’re likely to see the “new Micra” at the Geneva Auto Show next month.

Click here for AutoGuide’s live 2010 Geneva Auto Show coverage starting Monday, March 1st.

View Nissan’s video to learn more about this new global small car after the jump:

Nissan has just taken the wraps off its updated Patrol SUV, which is sold under the Infiniti brand in North America as the QX. While certain style elements are likely to change, the general look of the beast will remain. Nissan has even chosen to upgrade the Patrol’s interior to Infiniti standards, so we shouldn’t expect too much to change on the inside.

Under the hood, the truck retains Nissan’s 5.6-liter V8, but there are some surprises too. For starters, the engine features direct injection technology to produce 400-hp and 405 ft-lbs of torque. It’s likely to give a marked improvement in fuel economy thanks not only to that direct-injection tech, but because of a seven-speed automatic transmission. A new electronic four-wheel drive system is also a part of the package, with four modes (pavement, sand, rock and snow), which can be selected by the driver.

As expected, the truck retains its fully independent suspension.

Other highlights include hill start assist and hill descent control as well as Nissan’s new “curtain vent” technology that pumps the AC out of thin vents above the windows where the sun shines hottest.

Expect all of this and a shiny new Infiniti badge when the Patrol launches at the New York Auto Show next month as the Infiniti QX56. The Nissan Armada version should follow thereafter.

GALLERY: 2011 Nissan Patrol

Official release after the jump:

Nissan’s upcoming Juke crossover isn’t going to win any awards for style, but the vehicle’s engine is an exciting bit of technology. When the Juke goes on sale in North America later this year it will likely feature a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with direct-injection technology – GTDI (gasoline turbocharged direct injection) for short. It also gets variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust side of the engine.

The GTDI 1.6 will be offered in Europe, but Nissan has not confirmed if it will be available in the North American model.

This setup will allow for optimum performance with minimum fuel economy. The mpg stats aren’t available yet, but we can report that the engine makes 188-hp and 177 ft-lbs of torque.

The GTDI engine is the first by Nissan and is likely a sign of things to come for the automaker. Currently Volkswagen, GM and Ford and Mazda are big proponents of mixing small displacement engines with turbocharged and direct-injection technology and most other automakers are likely to follow suit soon.

Click here for AutoGuide’s live 2010 Geneva Auto Show coverage starting Monday, March 1st.

GALLERY: Nissan Juke

See after the jump for a short video about the new engine: