Nissan Juke turns five, celebrates with origami replica

The Nissan Juke is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, the UK division of the Japanese carmaker has employed the services of local artist Owen Gildersleeve. What the artist came up with is this full-scale origami version of the funky-looking crossover.

As most ideas for car design begin with pen and paper, the replica you see her is a nod to that heritage. Owen took more than 200 hours and folded more than 2,000 pieces of paper to create the 1:1 scaled sculpture that matches the exact dimensions of the real car.

As you can see, the paper replica catches many of the Juke’s design cues including the wheel fenders, lights, and V-motion grille. Nissan UK have also included a video that traces the process of creating the origami replica.

If you’re wondering why Nissan UK has gone to great lengths to celebrate the Juke’s fifth birthday, it is because the carmaker’s plant in Sunderland is one of the main locations where the Juke is produced, which has also secured a £100 million investment, securing the plant into 2020.

Since the Juke was introduced in 2010, 150,000 units have been sold in the UK, all produced in Sunderland. Across Europe, the Juke has notched up sales exceeding 700,000 units, making it one of the continent’s best-selling compact crossover.

Darryl Scriven, design manager at Nissan’s Design Centre for Europe, said: “The first step of any car design involves putting pencil to paper. From that simple start, it’s a complex journey to production involving hundreds of skilled people, thousands of man-hours and millions in investment.

“So we think it’s very apt that on its fifth birthday, we celebrate the Nissan Juke with a tribute that harks back to that simple, but bold, first step, all carried out with Nissan’s signature innovation and excitement of course.”

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