Nissan. The Juke's On Us
Nissan seems to have a golden hand for mini-utes. First, they had to put in a third shift in Europe for their unpronounceable Qashqai crossover. Now, news reaches us from Japan (via The Nikkei [sub]) that orders for their Juke compact SUV that went on sale in japan a few days ago, the monthly sales target of 1,300 units by over 300 percent in the first week alone.
As of Tuesday, Nissan had received orders for 5,296 units. Nissan plans to roll out the car in Europe and the U.S. this fall. When the car was shown in Geneva, our Ed Niedermeyer called it a “crossunder.” In a commemorative mood, we re-release the b-roll Ed had shown back when.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
More by Bertel Schmitt
Comments
Join the conversation
I like everything about the Juke except the lights on the hood. It's far better than so many of the other boring cars out there, with the same design details.
This thing will sell like hotcakes. The ladies are all gonna want one. I barely talked my wife out of the "cube"- it had less trunk/hatch space than your average sedan! But, oh, the cute factor.....
Well, so I have learned something new. I never had a look at the details of the Pathfinder.
I actually think it looks fantastic... not surprised that it actually sells. What else do you get in the compact crossover class, anyway? Boring retreads like the Sportage? The Juke may look unusual, but that's because it eschews tradition styling for something different. The Aztek was just a mess of mismatched cues. Unique sells. Just ask the Prius.