Nissan Juke NISMO

Nissan has released pictures of the Juke Nismo in final production form. Remember, this is not Nissan Juke-R!

Compared to the original Juke Nismo concept, revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March, styling changes are minimal for the production car. The front bumper has been redesigned, with larger air intakes either side of the lower grille and longer LED running lights. At the rear, the concept car's twin exhausts have been swapped for a single pipe.

The aggressive bodykit has been carried over, though, with protruding side skirts, a modified grille and a tailgate spoiler all designed to improve high-speed stability. Wider tyres wrapped around 18-inch alloys complete the exterior look. 

Inside, special suede-trimmed Nismo sports seats with red stitching have been added, as well as a redesigned steering wheel and gear knob.

Power output is yet to be confirmed, but Nissan has said that it will use a tuned 1.6-litre turbo unit - just like the DeltaWing race car. A figure of around 200bhp seems likely. Stiffer suspension and more direct steering will also be added.

The Juke Nismo will be built at Nissan's plant in Sunderland, alongside the rest of the Juke famiily, with UK sales starting in early 2013. It will go on sale in Japan and USA at a later date.

Honda Civic Type R with TURBO 2013

The next Honda Civic Type R will not only be the fastest version yet – it’s tipped to be Honda’s first-ever turbo road car. And our sources in Japan say tuning expert Mugen is already well underway with development.

The Type R has already achieved cult status in the UK – Europe’s biggest hot hatch market – thanks to its combination of a high-revving naturally aspirated engine and aggressive styling. But in order to meet emissions regulations, this latest model will tweak the formula slightly.

Instead of the previous 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine, it will use a 2.0-litre turbo designed to comply with Euro V emissions regulations. A similar engine will feature in Honda’s 2012 British Touring Car Championship challenger.

Adding a turbo will give more torque lower in the rev range, so a higher gear can be used more often to boost efficiency. Stop-start is also likely to be fitted.

Honda will increase the Type R’s output – but not by much. A figure of 210bhp would allow a 0-62mph time of less than 6.5 seconds and a top speed approaching 150mph.

Based on the new Civic seen at last month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the Type R gets the standard car’s front grille, slim headlights and LED daytime running lights, although most of the bodywork will be uprated.

A front end with large mesh air intakes, a lower chin spoiler and chunky side skirts will boost the visual impact, while a rear diffuser and extended spoiler  aim to increase stability at high speeds. Also helping the car’s balance in corners is the standard Civic’s longer, wider chassis; this should also improve ride comfort and grip.