Nissan Juke Nismo unveil at Le Mans 2012

For all those who turned away from the UK-based racing division’s tuned ‘Juke-R’ because of its hefty Dhs 2.2 million price-tag, here is some interesting news for you, this time from the Japanese at ‘Nismo’, because what we’re talking about is possibly the next best thing.

Having showcased the concept back at the ‘Tokyo Motor Show’ last year, the company’s performance arm unveiled the production-spec performance version of the Juke at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – an event with an unprecedented number of Nissan-powered vehicles on the grid.

Enhancements to the Nismo model over the stock Juke includes an aggressive ‘aero package’ complete with new front and rear bumpers, wider wheel arches, side skirts, tailgate spoiler and a new grille. The flared fenders are also wider to accommodate 18-inch alloys. The interior has been retrofitted with sportier control surfaces and red-stitched, suede-covered sports seats with greater lateral support.

Just like the standard Juke, the Nismo contains a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with direct-injection. Although output figures have not been released we know that the turbo version of the stock Juke rings up 188 hp and 240 Nm of torque. However, the Nismo is enhanced by a stiffer suspension setting, revised steering geometry and performance-tuned traction control with torque vectoring.

The Juke Nismo is expected to be available in Europe early next year, and is also tagged to be sold in USA and Japan sometime later. However, it is unknown if the the Juke Nismo will be offered in the GCC market, but if it is, it won’t be before mid-2013.

Keep track of UAE updates in the Nissan Juke buyer guide.