Nissan teases a potentially sleeker second-generation Juke

Nissan is expected to keep sending the Kicks crossover our way, but the rest of the world continues to enjoy the delights of the Juke. After nine years on the market, Nissan teased the second-generation of the original funky sub-compact crossover with a QR code and a single image.

To premier on September 3, the new Juke will introduce an evolved take on the current design. The split headlight arrangement carries over, the LED DRL giving up its boomerang shape for a curved single slash, the headlight beneath adopting a triangular pattern. The front fascia will wear a wider V-motion grille that descends to tie in with a chrome-look center section for the bumper and front skid plate. Chunky cladding adorns the wheel wells on the second-gen, as on today's Juke.

Other automakers have followed the Juke's lead with their own tiny crossovers, so it's expected that Nissan has plenty in store to keep its own weapon sharp. The Juke's exterior design, variously called "eccentric and confident" and "completely Marmite," should retain its personality albeit with a more modern language. Spy shots reveal the trademark steeply raked windshield, sloping roof, and prominent haunches, and prototype camouflage could hide a contrasting, floating roof.

The looks will enclose a more livable package, however, as the Juke moves to the CMF-B platform shared with the Renault Clio and recently revealed Renault Captur. That means a longer wheelbase, and more interior room for passengers and cargo. We'll see whether the current hauler's motorcycle-inspired interior treatment migrates, but we can expect better interior appointments and tech features aligned with the heavily digital Captur cockpit.

Based on the Captur's engine choices, powertrain combinations could entertain a 1.0-liter three-cylinder gas engine, 1.3- and 1.6-liter four-cylinder gas engines with as much as 200 horsepower, and a 1.5-liter diesel turning the front wheels. A plug-in hybrid is in the rumor mix, with talk of the 1.6-liter engine combined with a 9.8-kWh battery combining to provide an all-EV range of as much as 30 kilometers (18.6 miles).