Enlarge imageProduction of the new Nissan JUKE compact sports crossover has started at the UK's Sunderland Plant.
The JUKE promises to combine the best of an SUV and sports car in a small hatchback.
It will be available in two and four-wheel-drive versions and will be on sale in the UK in late September, with prices starting from £12,795.
There will be three trim grades and three engines, including a 190 PS turbocharged option.
Like the Qashqai, the JUKE will be available in two-wheel drive versions as well as the range-topping all-wheel drive model produced at Nissan's plant in Japan.
Nissan says that it has already received more than 22,500 pre-orders across Europe since the order books opened in June. Based on this, Sunderland expects to produce up to 100,000 units each year making it the plant's second highest volume model behind the Qashqai.
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The Sunderland Plant also produces the Note and Qashqai +2, and the Nissan LEAF zero-emission electric car is confirmed for production from early 2013.The JUKE represents £57 million of investment in the Sunderland facility. Its arrival safeguards 1,100 jobs directly at the plant and an estimated 2,000 additional jobs across Nissan's supply base. A £6.2 million Grant for Business Investment from the UK Government has supported this project.
It is expected JUKE will contribute to a potential production volume of more than 400,000 units for the 2010 Financial Year which, if realised, would be a plant record.
Sunderland will ramp up to full JUKE production volume in a plant record of two weeks, ensuring European dealers are fully stocked and ready for the car's start of sales in late September.
The majority of JUKEs produced in Sunderland will be exported into mainland Europe with the remainder destined for dealers across the UK and Ireland.
Keywords: Nissan JUKE compact sports crossover
