Nissan has unveiled its first electric sports utility

ENTERING production next year, with no word yet on where New Zealand sits in distribution planning – that’s Japan’s first mass produced fully-electric sports utility, the Nissan Ariya, unveiled online in its production format today.

Retaining the bold Blade Runner-esque styling of the concept unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show and the first product to sit atop the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF-EV electric architecture that will be used by all partner brands, the Ariya also showcases a new brand identity for Nissan.

However, for electric vehicle buffs, there are more important factors to consider for a vehicle set to sit above the LEAF, which has become a firm New Zealand favourite – this country’s highest volume EV, albeit on the strength of its popularity as a Japanese used import.

Ariya’s also heading for the big time; crossovers are hot and Nissan plans their car to provision in five variants, topped by a performance model.

The lesser models arrive with single motor rear-wheel-drive and the others delivering twin motor four-wheel-drive powertrains, the latter swapping the entry 63kWh lithium ion battery for a 87kWh unit.

The 63kWh single motor model will offer 160kW/300Nm and a range of around 450 kilometres in its most modest format.

The 87kWh edition is enabled for 178kW/300Nm, a range of at least 500kms and – if in rear-drive - 610kms, 0-100kmh in 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 160kmh as standard.

There’s also an e-4orce flagship that packs more punch – 389kW and 600Nm – and extra pep: Zero to 100kmh in 5.1 s and top speed of 200kmh. Range for that one drops to 400kms. All those estimates are from Nissan. The WLTP figures have yet to be provisioned.

All models have an on-board 130W fast-charging inverter that can top up 375km (80 percent of the smallest battery’s lowest range) in 30 minutes.

Ariya adopts standard, sport and eco modes, with e-Force models adding a snow function. It also uses the Leaf’s e-Pedal regeneration set-up, allowing one pedal driving. And some variants will take Nissan’s Pro Pilot 2.0, which allows for hands-free driving in some circumstances. It relies on more than 20 sensors such as cameras, radar and ultrasonic components.

At 4595mm long, 1850mm wide and 1655mm tall, the Ariya is relatively compact, but it has a 2775mm wheelbase and the absence of a transmission tunnel plus some clever stowage ideas will enhance interior space. The entry rear-drive car’s boot offers 466-litres’ capacity; editions with the 87kWh battery have 58 litres’ less space. Still, what helps is that the battery is a flat pack, which allows the vehicle to have a completely flat floor.

The interior features a high-tech interior, with almost no buttons or knobs, and aims to deliver a premium feel. Many touch controls are neatly integrated into the timber fascia that runs across the dash and are handled through "capacitive haptic touch-sensitive icons that light up on the dashboard.

Nissan has also freed up space by removing the air conditioning equipment from the cabin. It’s located under the bonnet instead because … well, no engine, right?

Nissan claims Ariya is expected to represent a new electrified brand identity – “blazing a path to an era of advanced electrification, interior layout, and seamless vehicle intelligence.”

Led by Senior Vice President of Global Design Alfonso Albaisa, Executive Design Director Satoru Tai and Senior Design Director Giovanny Arroba, Nissan’s designers worked from the beginning to lend a Japanese identity.

“We wanted to ensure that the soul of the vehicle reflect our distinctive Japanese DNA, conveyed in a simple, yet powerfully modern manner,” Albaisa said. “We dubbed this ‘Timeless Japanese Futurism’ and tapped into key Japanese words to inspire our global design team to produce the Ariya’s ultra-sleek, seamless, sharp and powerful form.”

Example? The grille has a large sunken area with a subtle pattern that's supposed to resemble a traditional Japanese kumiko design.