With the Leaf, Nissan was one of the first automakers to believe in “electric for the masses”. Now, many years after the launch of its first electric car, the Japanese brand is back with a new all-electric model. The Ariya is not only Nissan’s first electric crossover, but also an important turning point in terms of design.
The Ariya introduces in fact a new stylistic language that evolves the lines and shapes of Nissan’s current models. Built on the new CMF-EV platform, it is 4.59 metres long, but the bodywork shapes make it look bigger than it actually is. The front is dominated by a large black fairing grille that incorporates headlights that evolve the typical Nissan V-Motion shape and which, in the centre, contains the new backlit brand logo. On the Ariya form follows function, which is why the sides are clean and run in a linear fashion towards the massive tail, where the lights play a leading role with their single long luminous element that runs from one side to the other.
The interior takes up the minimalist design of the exterior and, in full respect for Japanese style, focuses on simple, linear forms that elegantly welcome the many technological elements well represented by the virtual buttons on the dashboard and the two 12”3 screens placed side by side. Nissan has developed two battery sizes for the Ariya: 63 or 87 kWh, the latter of which can be combined with two engines and four-wheel drive for up to 500 km range. Bythe way, Ariya is not alone in the future of Nissan. The Qashqai range, in fact, will expand with the arrival of the e-Power version. This is a hybrid powertrain in which a petrol engine acts as a generator, while traction is provided by the electric motor alone. In this way, you can always travel electrically, without ever having to recharge the car, which takes the energy it needs to run the car from the petrol engine or from the regenerative braking.
