Nissan's strange Juke SUV gets a little stranger

Kelsey Mays and Chris Woodyard

Cars.com and USA TODAY

As if Nissan's Juke didn't look a little odd already, now has a version that borrows a look last seen on a 1978 sports car.

In an automotive world with seemingly ever-confusing vehicle and model names, the 2017 Nissan JUKE Black Pearl Edition is hard to misunderstand. It’s Super Black and features Pearl White exterior accents. And, it adds a surprisingly bold appearance to a vehicle that, since introduction, has had a style and personality most accurately described as “extroverted.”

Nissan unveiled the Juke Black Pearl edition, an optional package on the Juke subcompact SUV that will debut in the flesh at next week's 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The Black Pearl edition was given the same color scheme as the Nissan 280Z in 1978. It, too, was called the Black Pearl.

It builds on the mid-level 2017 Juke SV, which is already on sale.

It's an extensive cosmetic package complete with black paint and white exterior accents plus 10% black-and-white trim on everything from the seats and center console to the steering wheel and air vents. Available with front- or all-wheel drive, the Black Pearl adds $1,190 to the Juke SV's price.

Nissan will limit Black Pearl production to just 1,000 units for the U.S. — less than 10% of the Jukes that Americans have bought so far this year. Nissan has been getting into movie tie-ins lately, but we doubt the automaker convinced Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush, stars of the Pirates of theCaribbean movies, to autograph each of those Black Pearls.

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