Nissan will introduce a new small, sporty crossover utility vehicle, the Juke, in the U.S. market this fall, the automaker said Wednesday.

The five-passenger compact model will join the larger Rogue and Murano crossovers in Nissan’s lineup, the Franklin-based Nissan North America, Inc., said.
Photos of the European version of the Juke, which also goes on sale in the fall, were released by Nissan Wednesday. The North American version will make its debut at the New York auto show in April, the company said.

There will be little difference in the exterior appearance of the two models, though, Nissan spokesman Darryll Harrison said.The Juke also will be sold in Japan, beginning this summer, and will make its global public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland in March, the company said.  Inspired by the Nissan Qazana concept car, the Juke is intended to “give customers a sporty crossover alternative to traditional small hatchback vehicles,” Nissan said in confirming the decision to launch the vehicle in North America.

It won’t be assembled at either of Nissan’s U.S. factories, in Smyrna and Canton, Miss., however; it will be imported from a Japanese plant, Harrison said.

The Juke is one of several new models Nissan plans for the United States in the next year or so. The others include the Leaf electric car, which goes on sale late this year, as well as two models smaller than the current Nissan Versa compact. No details about the smaller cars have been announced yet.

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