2010 Nissan Juke

Nissan's baby crossover vehicle, the Juke, has been exposed ahead of its Geneva motor show debut, boasting a radical look and an equally eye-opening 140kW 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine.

The new compact crossover vehicle is smaller than the Dualis SUV that Nissan sells locally, but the ultra-compact Juke is scheduled for sale in the US and European markets only.

The head of Corporate Communications at Nissan Australia, Jeff Fisher, told the Carsales Network that the Juke is not on the agenda at the moment but that the local arm would keep a watching brief.

"We will wait and see how thing go [overseas] with the Juke. The priority for Nissan Australia is the face-lifted Dualis, coming mid-year. There will also be Navara and Pathfinder upgrade later this year," revealed Fisher.

The Nissan Juke is based on the platform that underpins the about-to-be-replaced Micra light car, and measures just over 4.13 metres long and 1.76 metres wide.

Its design is best described as non-conformist, with no less than six headlight clusters: lower fog lights, main beams and upper daytime running lights. It draws inspiration from the Qazana concept, seen at the '09 Geneva motor show.

Beyond the wild design, there's a mild all-wheel drive system hiding underneath the Juke's sheetmetal, while petrol and diesel engines will be offered -- including the aforementioned turbo 1.6 that features direct injection and generates 140kW/240Nm.

This engine could find its way into a high performance version of the all-new Micra, which will make its debut alongside the Juke at the 2010 Geneva motor show in Switzerland. The all-new Micra will be on sale in Australia in the second half of the year.

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