Nissan Previews 2014 Rogue (Dualis) CUV for Frankfurt Motor Show

The 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show is just around the corner, and some of the most popular guests have already RSVP’d. Lexus is bringing their new RC-F Concept (probably), Toyota is bringing a new Hybrid-R Concept, Honda is bringing their new Civic Tourer, and even Infiniti has chimed in with their new Q30 Concept… Nissan is one of the few still left in the cold. That is, until today.

Earlier this morning, the second largest Japanese automaker published official word that they’ll be bringing the all-new 2014 Nissan Rogue to Frankfurt. Along with their extremely short press release, we got a single image of the new Rogue crossover, which you can find below:

Remind you of anything? I have to say, at least the style of this rendering is reminiscent of the Lexus mystery concept (ahem… the RC-F… ahem…) which we discussed earlier this week. But, I suppose there are only so many ways to preview a new vehicle. Either way, we have slightly more to go on for the 2014 Rogue then we did for the Lexus concept.

As you can see, this gives us a pretty good estimate of what the next generation Nissan Rogue will look like. That’s fortunate, because all Nissan is telling us is that, “The all-new 2014 Nissan Rogue will push the envelope of CUV design starting on September 10 when it is unveiled.” Not exactly a ton of information. But, here’s what we know:

First, the crossover market is exploding, and is well-documented as one of the trendiest spots for automakers to be right now. While the Rogue may be on the larger side compared to the likes of Nissan’s smaller Juke, it nicely stacks up against Toyota’s RAV4 and Honda’s CR-V. This is important to note because anytime you’re designing for a competitive market, aesthetics become top priority. Also note that while the Rogue is specifically an American nameplate, this new CUV will undoubtedly see international production, probably under the Qashqai model name in Europe, and the Dualis badge in Japan: Otherwise, why would Nissan premier it in Europe?

Put simply, the current Nissan Rogue doesn’t generate quite enough raw attraction to garner the drivership that Nissan wants. That’s why it’s no surprise that, even with the camouflage in place, the 2014 Nissan Rogue looks substantially edgier than the outgoing model… Like the leather-jacket-wearing bad boy who gets all the girls in the movies. In fact, I’d even make the comparison that the new Rogue takes more styling cues from Lexus than it does from its own marque.

Hey, maybe the similarities behind the two preview renderings are more deliberate than I’d first thought?

Of course, while the improved aesthetics will form the foundational appeal for the new Rogue CUV, there are certainly other noteworthy updates being made as well. Unfortunately, we don’t have quite as much information on the mechanical side of the new crossover. All we know is that it will be one of the first vehicles designed for the Japanese brand’s newly developed modular CMF chassis. Beyond that, you’ll have to wait with the rest of us for the big reveal on September 10th. Until then, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Japanese car updates!

Source: Car Scoops, Motor Authority, Autoblog