Nissan builds a Dakar-ready Juke Hybrid

Last year, Nissan rendered the new Juke Hybrid as a cross-country rally concept to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Datsun 240Z that took victory in the 1971 East African Rally. Now they've got a real one.

Called the Juke Hybrid Rally Tribute concept, Nissan used a standard Juke Hybrid as its base and received a host of modifications to make it a proper rally car. The wheel arches have been widened to accommodate the huge 265/70R16 Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires in the Juke's wheel well.

In addition, the Juke Hybrid was fitted with bolt-on wide fender flares, additional plastic pieces on the front and rear bumpers, protective skid plates, and additional LED lighting units mounted on the hood and on the roof. Like the previous rendering, the rear hatch door glass has been removed to fit the two full-size spare tires, and the dual exhaust pipes stick out at the center of the rear bumper.

To finish off the exterior, the deep red shade, black painted hood, and retro-looking decals were inspired by the rally-winning Datsun 240Z from 1971.

Inside, the Juke Hybrid Rally Tribute concept was fitted with standard rally car bits such as a roll cage, a fire extinguisher, plus a steering wheel and a hydraulic handbrake wrapped in Alcantara upholstery. Also, there's a pair of bucket seats with four-point harnesses and an intercom system for the driver and co-driver.

The motorsport bits end there as the hybrid powertrain of the Juke was kept stock, except that it runs on biofuels provided by Shell. That means, the Juke Hybrid Rally Tribute concept remains powered by the naturally aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 94 PS and 148 Nm of torque, and is complemented by an electric motor with 49 PS and 205 Nm.

Also, there's a second electric motor that acts as a high-voltage starter generator (HSG), a 1.2 kWh water-cooled battery, and a multi-mode gearbox that sends power to the front wheels.

Despite its competition-ready looks, the Nissan Juke Hybrid Rally Tribute is only a one-off project and is not intended to actually compete. But if they change their minds, it would be great to see a rally raid-spec Juke complete with four-wheel-drive and more power.