E.T. Drive Home
Every automaker has its own look. Whether it’s a seven-slot grille, round tail lamps or a Hofmeister kink each company tries to claim its own signature styling elements.
Auto News
AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
Thanks to the Nissan Juke’s success on the market, Toyota is considering bringing out a small crossover, based on the Rugged Sports Coupé concept that debuted back in 2001 at the Chicago Auto Show. Continue Reading…
It’s not quite the menacing Juke R, but Nissan has created a themed Juke NISMO model drawing its inspiration from the movie The Dark Knight Rises.
The 2012 Paris Motor Show is coming up fast, and today Nissan announced that the Juke NISMO will be unveiled as the first vehicle in a string of NISMO tuned performance vehicles.
The “Midnight Edition” Nissan Juke is a new accessory package available that adds some slick styling and stealthy elements to Nissan’s small crossover.
At least year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Nismo teased things to come with a Juke Nismo Concept model, and an electric Leaf Nismo model. It appears the performance division of Nissan is going full speed ahead with new Nismo performance models, including more extreme RS versions.
Approximately 11,076 Nissan Juke’s are under recall according to NHTSA, for incomplete weld penetration on the rear-seat back.
When the Nissan Juke R was first introduced, the championship race car builders over at RML managed to take the ugliest crossover in the world and turn it into the world’s fastest while making it look awesome.
10. Mazda CX-5 $20,995
Crossovers continue to be one of the most competitive new car segments in the industry, and that’s a good thing for car buyers. With more and more entries into the market, prices have dropped across the board. Here’s a quick look at the top 10 cheapest crossover vehicles.
Nissan, in partnership with music label Ministry of Sound (MOS), has created the world’s most powerful car sound system – naming it the Juke Box.
10. 2012 BMW 528i xDrive 22/32/26
Fuel efficiency is quickly becoming one of the most sought after elements in a new car. However finding a car with good fuel efficiency usually means you have to make a few compromises.
10. Jeep Patriot 23/29/25
Crossovers have pretty much taken over the Sport Utility Vehicle market, thanks to lower prices, better fuel efficiency and the handling that comes part-in-parcel with being based on a car platform versus truck architecture. Continue Reading…
After the confirmation of the Juke-R going into production and the release of “Desert Nemesis,” the mini-movie that details an Italian exotic vs. Juke-R street race, Nissan has released two more videos showing off the Juke-R.
Update: The price referred to in this story does not reflect American pricing. We now know that the Juke-R will cost around $590,000 in U.S. dollars.
In a surprise move, Nissan announced that it will offer production versions of its insane Juke-R concept though only on a per-order basis and in a limited supply.
What happens when you scoop a Nissan Juke’s guts out with a mellon baller and replace them with pure testosterone? In case you forgot, it’s the Juke-R.
10. Jeep Compass (tie): 52.7%
Ever wonder just how different men are from women when it comes to picking their vehicle of choice? Here’s a top 10 list of vehicles with the highest proportion of female buyers, provided by Polk via InsideLine. There are a few unexpected models on the list, and a couple of models that, to our surprise, are missing.
Tied for 10th is the Jeep Compass, the only American vehicle on the list. In a way it makes sense, the Compass never gets the respect it deserves, packing a four-cylinder engine and hardly has the rugged off-road ethos that traditional Jeep fans embrace. So in our most sexist tone possible, it makes sense that women embrace the Compass – no really, it’s Jeep’s baby SUV.
Nissan is recalling 79,275 vehicles after finding that an improperly tightened fuel pressure sensor may lead to gas leaks and an increased risk of fire.
The vehicles affected are certain 2011-12 Jukes, Infiniti QX and Infiniti M vehicles. The leak is prone to happen because of heat and vibration, loosening the sensor and allowing the leak.
Owners driving an affected vehicle can expect Nissan to contact them directly and repair the issue free of charge. If you have any concerns, you may also contact Nissan customer service at (615) 725-1000 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s safety hotline at (888) 327-4236.
Today Nissan announced its list of concepts that will bow at the Geneva Auto Show next month. There are two world premiers in the group, the Invitation and one other that the company is keeping closely guarded.
The Invitation, which from what we can tell is a lot like a cooler version of the Versa, will feature Nissan’s Around View Monitor (AVM) which gives a bird’s eye view of the car for easy parking.
“The future product vision promised by these four concept vehicles – when added to the strength and depth of our full range – shows the confidence coursing through every aspect of Nissan today. We are on target to become the top Asian brand right across Europe by 2016,” said Paul Wilcox, the senior vice president of sales and marketing in Europe.
Aside from the Invitation and the secret concept which has us wondering, the company will also display the Juke NISMO concept that will wear speedy-looking trim on the dressed-up Juke, but little in actual performance improvements.
The e-NV200 is Nissan’s next foray into the EV market and will first gain entry to the U.S. market as a fleet of New York City taxi cabs. The e-NV200 will be the fourth and final concept unveiled by Nissan at the Geneva show.
Nissan announced today that it will be revealing a new B-segment concept car called the Invitation at next month’s Geneva Auto Show.
The little car that slips between Nissan’s Micra and Juke vehicles in the European market is aimed to attain the company’s Pure Drive badge for efficiency with 100g/km CO2 emission. What isn’t clear is if we’re looking at a replacement to the brand’s current B-segment car, the Versa.
Few actual specifications are available now, but François Bancon, deputy division general manager of product strategy and product planning division, said “the name we have given to this concept is self-explanatory. It is designed to be inviting thanks to its sensuous exterior design and generous and comfortable interior space, cleverly packaged within compact overall dimensions.”
The interior has a futuristic feel that Nissan said will have “impressive levels of quality and purposeful technology features.”
We do know that the Invitation will feature Nissan’s Around View Monitor (AVM) safety technology, though looking at the pictures reveals an array of colorful buttons that we’re curious to jump in and press, making the Invitation seem surprisingly cordial.
GALLERY: Nissan Invitation Concept
Pricing details are now available for the rethought 2012 Honda Crosstour featuring a more cost-minded four-cylinder engine.
The 2012 Crosstour will start at $27,655 and go all the way up to $36,540 for the four-wheel drive version with navigation. At the base price, you get a 192-horsepower engine that squeaks out an extra three miles-per-gallon in the city and two on the highway. The 271-horsepower V6, which is unchanged over previous models, is still available as well.
The company made the official announcement about their plans to launch a less expansive version of their crossover last December. They hoped it would help the Crosstour finally feel marketable in light of failed sales. Despite that failure, Honda still seems confident and determined to make the Crosstour work.
“The new four-cylinder Crosstour offers sleek design, unmatched passenger comfort and ingenious functionality now with four-cylinder pricing and fuel economy,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co. “With four-cylinder and V6 options and a long list of standard features, Crosstour should be on every CUV buyer’s shopping list.”
That might be how Honda feels, but the Crosstour has been consistantly criticized as the ugly duckling in the lineup. Consmers complain that it’s too much like a larger Accord, which makes sense because that’s how it was originally marketed.
Speaking of ugly ducklings, it’s probably important to point out that the top-of-the-line Nissan Juke sells for about $4000 less than the base Crosstour. It also gets better mileage than the two-wheel drive crosstour, with all-wheel drive. Sure, you sacrifice four horsepower, but who cares?
The only new selling point for Honda’s less potent 2012 Crosstour is a lower price, but we say that fails to deliver against the competition.
Gallery: 2012 Honda Crosstour
We just can’t get enough of the Nissan Juke-R project, and probably won’t until we get our grubby little hands behind its steering wheel. But until then, we’ll just have to continue living vicariously through those fortunate enough to experience the monster first hand.
While it was in Dubai to pace the 24 Hour race, Nissan took its Juke-R out to the Dubai International Marina where a makeshift course was created and the funky Japanese crossover was pitted against a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 and a Ferrari 458 Italia. You know, just some of Germany and Italy’s finest supercars.
Now it goes without saying that we’d expect the Juke-R to look mighty impressive in the video against the exotics since it was probably staged by Nissan. But there’s no denying just how remarkable its performance looks and how undoubtedly fun it was for Lucas Ordonez, the first GT Academy winner, to pilot it. And obviously by watching the video, the drivers were putting on a show more than they were looking for a fast lap time.
We just hope a better resolution video surfaces soon.
Check out the video below.
Fox Marketing has been building project cars for over a decade now, and it appears that Nissan‘s Juke-R project has inspired them to tackle the funky crossover themselves. They’re not in the mood to one-up the Juke-R project though, as Fox Marketing has always specialized in building projects any real car enthusiast could do also.
The team will utilize Nissan’s factory 1.6L AWD powertrain but will add a custom intercooled turbo setup in order to motivate it to 400-hp. Braking will be upgraded with a six-piston, 14-inch setup while custom 20×9-inch wheels will adorn all four corners. Fox Marketing will also add a simple, yet clean and functional aerodynamic kit to the exterior while performance springs will handle the suspension duties.
Once the body modifications are completed, BASF will contribute with some Foxy Orange paint while the interior will feature racing seats from Yonaka’s Ronin line. Fox Marketing anticipates the project to make its official debut in the coming months, so we’ll keep our eyes out.
GALLERY: Fox Marketing Nisasn Juke-S Renders
