Nissan Qashqai and Juke to go electric alongside new Leaf SUV

Electric power has been confirmed for future versions of the Nissan Qashqai and Juke small SUVs – alongside the next-generation Leaf electric car, which will switch from a hatchback to an SUV.

The three models will be produced in Nissan's Sunderland, UK factory which today produces the petrol Qashqai and Juke – and electric Leaf – for Europe and Australia following an additional £1.12 billion ($AU2.1 billion) investment.

Australian plans for all three vehicles are yet to be confirmed.

Details of arrival timing are unclear – and it is not stated if the current petrol Qashqai and Juke will remain in production alongside the new electric vehicles.

However Nissan says every new model it introduces in Europe from now on will be electric – before ending sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 – so it appears unlikely there will be another generation of the petrol Juke or Qashqai.

The two SUVs are in addition to the Nissan Leaf small electric hatch, which is due to morph into an SUV for its next generation due in 2025 or 2026, as sales of traditional hatchbacks decline globally.

The Japanese car maker has said the three vehicles will be based on the Nissan Hyper Urban, Hyper Punk and Chill-Out concepts.

It has not said which concept will inspire which vehicle, however the Hyper Punk's proportions are reminiscent of the Juke, Drive has previously reported the Chill-Out will form the basis of the next Leaf, while by process of elimination the Hyper Urban may inform the next Qashqai.

Nissan says "further information about the three models, including names, specifications and launch dates, will be released at a later time."

It leaves the door open for a name change for one of the three vehicles – possibly the Leaf, to accompany its change in body style.

It is expected some – or all – of the models will use two electric-car platforms being developed with Renault as part of the long-standing alliance between the companies, which also includes Mitsubishi.

The AmpR Small platform (previously known as CMF-BEV) is the electric equivalent of the CMF-B underpinnings used for the current Nissan Juke, while the AmpR Medium platform (previously known as CMF-EV) is the battery-powered counterpart to CMF-C, which is used for the Nissan Qashqai.

The latter architecture is shared with the larger Nissan Ariya mid-size electric SUV, as well as the Renault Megane E-Tech and Scenic E-Tech electric SUVs.

Reports have previously claimed an electric Nissan X-Trail was planned to go on sale in Europe between 2025 and 2027, but this is yet to be confirmed.

The latest £1.12 billion ($AU2.1 billion) into Nissan's UK factory brings the total investment into the facility to produce electric vehicles to £3 billion ($AU5.7 billion).

It includes plans for three battery "gigafactories", and a wind and solar farm to "deliver 100 per cent renewable electricity to Nissan and its neighbouring suppliers."