- the production version of the new nissan ariya ev will debut july 15.
- nissan released a teaser photo of the electric crossover ahead of its official reveal.
- expect the ariya to go on sale in the u.s. late next year, possibly as a 2022 model.
nissan will reveal the production version of its all-new electric crossover, the ariya, on july 15. the virtual event comes less than a year after the sleek concept made its debut at the 2019 tokyo motor show boasting a sensor-laden "shield" instead of a grille and a two-motor setup providing all-wheel drive.
we expect at least the latter to make it into production, particularly given that the ariya (pronounced like the thing a diva sings) will ride on nissan's new e-4orce platform (wherein "4" stands for "all-wheel drive").
this is a big step for the japanese brand, whose only other mass-market electric vehicle, the leaf hatchback, makes do with one motor and front-wheel drive. the e-4orce platform can support a variety of body styles and should offer the automaker—as well as renault and mitsubishi—a lot of flexibility for its future ev offerings.
many things about the ariya remain unknown at this point, but we can tell you that, size-wise, this compact crossover sits below the rogue in the lineup, being both shorter and lower than that suv, if a little wider. we don't expect its price to follow that hierarchy, though. the ariya should take on the likes of the tesla model y, the chevy bolt ev, the hyundai kona electric, and the upcoming ford mustang mach-e, all of which start above $35,000.
if there's one notable feature of the concept that we hope to see come stateside it's the company's latest driver-assistance system, propilot 2.0. it allows drivers the opportunity to go hands-free on certain roads, similar to cadillac's super cruise system. we'll find out more on july 15.