Nissan bets on Ariya to aid recovery

Nissan has unveiled the Ariya – an electric SUV crossover and its first new global model in five years – as it eyes a road to recovery after more than a year of scandal and earnings losses.

Featuring the marque’s latest self-driving technologies, the vehicle will go on sale in Japan from mid-2021 before being rolled out worldwide.

Nissan plans to sell just 30,000 for the model’s first full year of global sales, reports Reuters, before eventually ramping up annual production to 100,000 units. 

By comparison, the company’s X-Trail and Rogue together sold more than half a million units last year.

Nissan’s brand and sales have suffered recently with an ageing vehicle portfolio. Compounding those problems was the ousting of former CEO Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 over allegations of financial misconduct, charges he denies.

‘New era’

The Ariya is the carmaker’s first all-new electric vehicle (EV) in a decade after the Leaf hatchback and is also the first car to sport Nissan’s new-look logo – with both unveiled on July 15.

Nissan estimates the Ariya, which will be priced at about NZ$71,000, will be able to travel up to 610 kilometres on a single charge. 

It will come in two-wheel and all-wheel drive options, offers two different battery sizes of either 65kWh or 90kWh, and the top speed will range from 160-200kph.

“The Ariya enhances driving excitement, ensures high levels of comfort and confidence and heightens the joy of connecting,” says Ashwani Gupta, Nissan’s chief operating officer. “It’s more than just a great EV crossover, it’s a great vehicle.”

The Ariya marks the start of Nissan’s plan to roll out 12 new models in 18 months and it expects sales of EVs to be more than one million units a year by the end of fiscal 2023. 

“We created the Nissan Ariya as an answer to the aspirations and practical needs of today’s customers,” says Makoto Uchida, chief executive. “Combining our strengths in EVs and crossovers, it’s a showcase for Nissan’s new era of excitement and design.”