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Nissan has reportedly delayed the launch of the second-generation Juke while it mulls the possibility of dropping a diesel engine from the lineup and pressing ahead with an all-petrol-and-electric range.
The Juke, in spite of being a seven-year old design, is still a strong seller in Ireland, with more than 1,200 cars sold here last year. Of those, just over a third, or 474 units, were diesel-engined, so Nissan may be taking a considerable risk if it drops diesel altogether. The new Juke, which should look similar to the Kicks concept car (pictured), will share its CMF-B platform with the impressive new Micra, which is available with Nissan's long-serving 1.5 dCi diesel engine.
It could be Nissan's senior partners at Renault who ultimately make the decision, though. Renault is under pressure in France, both from criminal investigators who suspect that the company may have been 'doing a Volkswagen' on its diesel emissions tests and the authorities in Paris who are planning a total diesel-car ban in the city by 2025. With the next-generation Captur, one of Renault's biggest sellers, due to also share a chassis with the new Juke, the choice of whether or not to fit a diesel engine could come down to the outcome of investigations into Renault's emissions tests.
In a statement, Renault's senior management said that: "Groupe Renault acknowledges, without having been able to obtain official confirmation thereof at this stage, the opening of judicial investigations on the ground of 'deceit on essential qualities and inspections conducted, these facts having led to the products being dangerous for the health of humans or animals.' This new development in the procedure would suggest that the Public Prosecutor wishes to continue the investigations. Renault complies with French and European regulations [and its] vehicles are all and have always been homologated in accordance with the laws and regulations. They are compliant with the applicable standards. Renault vehicles are not equipped with cheating software affecting anti-pollution systems."
With a noticeable, if still small, public movement away from diesel power, Renault and Nissan are actually in quite a good position to replace DERV with amp-hours. The Renault Zoe electric small car has recently been relaunched with a claimed 400km one-charge range, while Nissan is working on a replacement for the Leaf with a 500km range. Both companies are also working on petrol-electric 'mild hybrids' and Nissan's recent buyout of Mitsubishi means that it now has access to the plugin-hybrid tech deployed in the Outlander. Any one or all of these options, from full electric to mild hybrid could be deployed in the new Juke and Captur. Meanwhile, a report in Spain's Motor magazine has suggested that Nissan and Renault's next-generation of petrol engines will be so frugal that they won't need to find a diesel alternative.