Last night at Rockefeller Center in New York City I was able to attend the unveiling of the Nissan JUKE, a stylish new compact crossover that hits Nissan dealer showrooms in the United States in the fall of 2010 as a 2011 model. The bright red model showcased at the event certainly grabs your attention, and it’s apparent that this model is aimed at the youth market. The styling exudes a fun and carefree feeling while offering many of the practical characteristics of a crossover vehicle.

While this is a compact crossover, you still get one of the best crossover qualities with a roomy interior. Consumers are flocking to crossovers as the general design provides so much more interior room when compared to traditional models. While the back seat isn’t particularly roomy, the driver and the front passenger will have plenty of room to enjoy the ride. This is not your father’s cramped hatchback.

Given the target market, it’s no surprise that Nissan was aggressive with the styling, which was based on the Nissan Qazana Concept. The bold design inside and out draws on a number of active lifestyle influences including motorcycles and rally cars. The center console in particular evokes a gas tank from a motorcycle. The JUKE features a powerful front end treatment with the turn signals integrated into the front fenders. Other exterior details include body-colored outside mirrors and front door handles, “hidden” rear door handles and integrated roof spoiler. The result is a striking look that many customers will love, while others might not be as thrilled. The turn signals in particular set this vehicle apart.

“JUKE is about to carve out a unique space in the rapidly growing compact crossover/hatchback segment with its combination of striking design, agile handling and driving pleasure and user friendly technology,” said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, NNA. “Add in the convenience, versatility and high seating positioning of a traditional compact SUV and you’ve got a vehicle unlike any other in its class.”

As for performance, the JUKE sports a standard 1.6-liter Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG) turbo engine and an advanced torque vectoring all-wheel drive (AWD) system with performance technology usually reserved for premium vehicles.

The Nissan JUKE will be on display at the New York International Auto Show at Jacob Javits Center April 2nd through 11th. I suspect this vehicle will generate a considerable amount of buzz and will be a hit with the target market.

Disclaimer: Nissan provided my airfare, hotel stay and drinks to come check out the new Juke. Special thanks to Nissan!

These next two vehicles are some really hot products on the way from Nissan. Ghosn is quietly putting together a top notch lineup and with Toyota dealing with quality issues Nissan looks to take of advantage of the situation.

From Auto Guide.com:

Infiniti made a last minute decision to show its products at the Chicago Auto Show and so it took some searching to find the brands new 2011 M model tucked away in a back corner. But it was worth the hunt. Infiniti actually showed the car to us at a private event during the LA Auto Show, but the car’s Chicago Auto Show debut will be its first public appearance.

For 2011 the M will be offered as both an M37 and M56 model, each of which will be offered in either RWD or AWD. Like the G37, the M37 is powered by a 3.7-liter V6 engine with 270 ft-lbs of torque. As for the M56, it gets a massive 5.6-liter mill with an impressive 420-hp and 417 ft-lbs of torque. In total, the new top-level M gets 95-hp and 81 ft-lbs of torque over its predecessor, the M45.

Read the full article here.

Nissan has just released the first photos of the Juke crossover, which will slot in just underneath the Rogue in the Japanese automaker’s lineup. Shown here in Euro-spec trim, we expect some changes when it arrives in the U.S., but not much. After all, Nissan wants this car to be a big change from the traditional crossover. We have to admit that the front headlights bulging off the hood and the massive fog lights are a tad excessive.

In fact, because it’s more of a sub-compact crossover, Nissan is hoping to win-over small hatchback buyers, with a more versatile platform. The Juke is also likely to undercut other crossovers on the market, as it almost has to be priced well-below the $20,000 mark, otherwise it would compete with the Rogue.

Read the full article here.