When the first-generation Nissan Juke was first revealed, the world went deathly silent. Birds stopped singing, spinning records were scratched and halted, and we all stared in petrified wonderment that a car company would stamp their name on something so ... strange.
But time has told us that the Juke's crazed styling paid off. It might not be the most common thing in New Zealand, but it's a comfortable seller for the Japanese brand in other markets. So much so that it's been kept around, with very little change, for almost 10 years.
And, oddly, it hasn't aged that badly. Other car companies have caught up to the Juke's innate weirdness, with rivals like the Toyota C-HR and Hyundai Kona trying to emulate its oddball-today-sellout-tomorrow routine.
Now, after almost a decade Nissan have finally given Juke fans a taste at what the second-gen model will look like. And those who liked the last one are unlikely to be disappointed.
While it's coated in a thick layer of camouflage, you can clearly tell that this blob of SUV is a Nissan Juke just by the various lines and shapes. Things have changed up front slightly, with whispy headlights set to be backed up by huge Y-shaped fog-lights underneath in place of the huge round baubles of the last model.
Those keen to see the new Juke in full best mark their calendar with the dates plastered all over this camo-wrapped model; September 9, 2019.
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Along with these images, Nissan have also confirmed a few of the Juke's features. It will come shod with massive 19-inch wheels, which will compliment an overall increase in its dimensions. Length has gone up by 75mm, and wheelbase has increased by 106mm. The use of high-strength steel has helped temper those dimensional changes, with overall weight dropping by 6 per cent and stiffness increasing by 13 per cent.
Nissan have also said that the next-gen Juke will come fitted with the brand's ProPilot semi-autonomous technology, which includes an advanced lane-keep and adaptive cruise control system.
The new Juke shares platforms with the upcoming Renault Captur and Clio, which is part of how those dimensional increases have been achieved. In Europe it will be available from launch with an 85kW/180Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine sourced from the Micra hatchback, although a plug-in hybrid is also coming.
It's yet to be confirmed whether the new Juke will make it to New Zealand's shores. But given the interest in SUVs (particularly compact, funky ones), you'd think it would be a shoe-in.