Nissan Ariya EV previewed in video ahead of launch next week
Nissan's second production electric car is an SUV, and it's set to be fully unveiled on July 15th before going on sale later this year
Nissan is about to launch its second dedicated electric car for Europe - the Ariya - with a new preview video revealing an unveil date of 15 July.
The video doesn't fully give the game away, but gives us enough of a glimpse to see that the SUV retains much of the design debuted on the 2019 concept car. A striking LED lighting signature can also be seen at the end.
Earlier this year revealing patent images were posted online showing how the production car's shape differs from the concept, revealed at the Tokyo motor show.
The shots, posted most clearly by Instagram fan account Nissan Arabia, show the 4.6m-long family SUV retains the concept's overall shape, though a few detail changes can be spotted. The bumper shape, particularly the lower portion, has been slightly altered, with a towing eye cover visible and LED lights also brought in to the intakes at the edges of the front.
The side view seems broadly identical, bar a charging port raised higher in the wing, a shark-fin aerial on the roof and alterations to the roof spoiler. The side mirrors aren’t incorporated in the patent shots, suggesting Nissan might be looking to swap traditional items for cameras, as per the Honda E and Audi E-tron.
At the rear, more significant alterations are visible. It looks like the rear window has been reduced in terms of visible area, while a rear wiper has been brought in. The backlit Nissan logo seen on the concept also appears to have been ditched, although the full-width LED tail-light design should be retained. The bumper shape has also been altered for production.
With no interior images, we can only go by the minimalist design of the concept’s cabin for reference. Expect it to showcase the long-awaited generation shift of Nissan interiors and infotainment alongside the new X-Trail seven-seat SUV, which is due at the end of this year.
The production version of the Ariya will use a new Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance modular architecture that offers increased flexibility with the motor and battery pack size.
There's still no indication of the powertrain beyond Nissan calling it a “high performance, 100% electric drive system” with dual motors for four-wheel drive. However, we do know that the Ariya will offer Level 2 autonomous driving assistance features.
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