Electric Nissan Juke And Qashqai Get Inspiration From Cutting-Edge Concepts

author: FutureCar Staff    

Nissan has announced its plans to build all-electric versions of its Juke and Qashqai SUVs, as well as the next-gen Leaf, at its plant in Sunderland, UK. These new electric vehicles will draw inspiration from Nissan's "Hyper" series of concept cars that were recently unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show.

The Japanese automaker is investing up to 3 billion pounds ($3.75 billion) in the production of these three EVs, along with the construction of three battery gigafactories in partnership with Envision AESC. This investment also includes the necessary infrastructure at the Sunderland plant.

The EV36Zero hub in Sunderland will be responsible for producing three electric vehicles and their battery cells at three gigafactories. Of the total investment, approximately 1.12 billion pounds ($1.41 billion) will be allocated to the R&D and manufacturing of the electric Juke and Qashqai. This amount covers facility and manufacturing process improvements, skills training, and tooling for suppliers.

In addition to this investment, Nissan has already allocated 423 million pounds ($531 million) for the first phase of EV36Zero, which focuses on the successor to the Leaf entry-level EV. Production of the new model is set to begin in Sunderland in 2026.

Nissan has revealed that the design of the future Qashqai EV will be influenced by the Nissan Hyper Urban Concept, while the Juke EV will draw inspiration from the Hyper Punk Concept. The Chill-Out Concept from 2021 has already been confirmed to inspire the next Leaf.

Further details about these upcoming EVs, including their names, specifications, and launch dates, will be provided by Nissan at a later time. The company's President and CEO, Makoto Uchida, expressed excitement about the role of electric vehicles in achieving carbon neutrality and stated that the EV36Zero project will position the Sunderland plant at the forefront of Nissan's future vision.

Nissan has also announced that the electricity required for the production of EVs and batteries in Sunderland will be supplied by the EV36Zero Microgrid, which generates 100% renewable electricity from the company's wind and solar farms, including a newly constructed 20MW solar farm.

As part of its commitment to electric mobility, Nissan has previously confirmed that all its new cars in Europe will be fully electric. By 2030, the automaker aims to have its entire passenger car lineup in Europe be 100% electric.

FutureCar Staff