Next all-electric Nissan JUKE, QASHQAI and LEAF to go wild and ramp up Aussie EV attack
Nissan says it’s committed to a radical electric reinvention of its JUKE and QASHQAI SUVs as well as the LEAF EV when it begins replacing the current models from 2026.
Announcing that all three will be made at Nissan’s British Sunderland plant following a huge £3 billion ($5.7b) investment in both the factory where they will be built ND the building of or upgrading of three gigafactories.
As both the JUKE and Qashqai are sourced from the UK in Australia as ICE Models, this electric reinvention bodes well for a big Nissan EV attack locally in the second half of the decade.
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The Japanese car-maker confirmed that three models will come with concept car looks in a bid to stand out from the crowd.
Confirming that all three will be inspired by the striking Nissan Hyper Urban concept (pictured top) and the angular Nissan Hyper Punk concept that were recently unwrapped at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, plus earlier curvy 2021 Nissan Chill-Out Concept.
The first of the EV trio to land will be the all-new LEAF in 2026 that will switch from hatch to a more appealing sleek SUV coupe shape that will borrow from the smooth Chill-Out Concept.
There’s no word what will happen under the skin but it’s highly likely the next LEAF will swap over to the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CMF-EV architecture that is currently used for the latest Renault Megane E-TECH and the Nissan Ariya.
The next radical-looking Nissan EV to arrive will be the third-generation Nissan JUKE that’s will replace the current car that went on sale back in 2019. We think it should rock-up in either 2026 or a year later in 2027.
When it does the most daring of the three is set to be based on the Hyper Punk concept that was unwrapped recently at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show.
When the JUKE goes on sale it should look like nothing else in the segment, with its rakish high-riding coupe silhouette, raised hipline and hugely over-inflated wheel-arches.
What won’t make it to the final car is the wild illuminated triangular light strips on the alloy wheels, however cool they might look.
Inside, Nissan designers won’t hold back with the next JUKE with a dramatic mix of angular shapes and sharp angles.
Finally, completing the British-built contingent will be the all-electric QASHQAI that could be introduced around 2028 – seven years after the current model was introduced.
We think that car will mirror the Hyper Urban’ styling that also made its debut at the last month’s Japan mobility show.
Looking more like a futuristic take of the current Ariya SUV, the next battery-powered mid-SUV will keep its triangular-inspired styling but lose its large scissor doors over safety reasons.
Like the LEAF it makes sense for the JUKE and QASHQAI to also be based on the CMF-EV architecture unless the car-maker replaces or upgrades the new dedicated EV platform by the time they’re introduced.
As well as upgrading the Sunderland factory itself, Nissan said its new three EVs will soon be built using 100 per cent renewable energy thanks to its new EV36Zero Microgrid power station it is building that will rely on a huge solar field and wind turbines to produce all the factories power.
