Nissan's EV crossover comes closer to reality

TOKYO — Nissan's Ariya Concept previews a "sleek, sexy and seamless" design for a new all-electric crossover.

The Ariya was unveiled at the Tokyo auto show on Wednesday. It foreshadows the first of a range of EVs to be built on a new dedicated platform co-developed by Nissan and partner Renault.

The Ariya builds on the IMx Concept shown at the 2017 Tokyo show. But even much closer to production now, the design revels in futuristic flourishes that Nissan hopes will set it apart from an increasingly crowded field of electric crossovers from Tesla, Jaguar, Audi, Volvo and others.

Nissan unveiled an EV crossover concept to its U.S. dealers last month. The production version is expected to arrive in the U.S. in the second half of 2021, one of eight battery-powered models that Nissan is planning globally. The crossover would be Nissan's second EV offering in North America after the Leaf hatchback.

"This is not just a show car. This is our serious commitment. This is a real car," Chief Product Specialist Makoto Fukuda said of the Ariya at a preshow briefing in Japan.

"This is what will be our next step after the Leaf."

The Ariya uses a flat floor and a compact front motor compartment made possible by its electric drivetrain. Both design elements enable a spacious and premium cabin with high-tech features, Nissan said.

Nissan calls its flat-floor EV layout the "magic flying carpet" concept.

"The Ariya Concept defines the new center for EVs at Nissan," Design Director Giovanny Arroba said at the briefing. Having no center tunnel, he said, "really allows us to expand the inner space. We wanted to create a new electric architecture, a new special experience inside the car."

Arroba used the word "seamless" to describe the unrestricted flow through the spacious cabin, as well as the connectivity of the future vehicle's onboard technology.

Under the hood, the electric drivetrain will be a two-motor, all-wheel-drive setup, a Nissan EV first, Fukuda said. The front and rear motors can be independently controlled to optimize torque.

"We are not just making a fast-accelerating muscle car, but a car that can allow the driver to drive in any situations safely and confidently," Fukuda said.

According to U.S. dealers who saw the planned production vehicle in September, the five-seater has a 300-mile (483 km) range and can go from 0 to 60 mph in under five seconds.

The Ariya comes equipped with Nissan's next-generation automated driving technology, ProPilot 2.0. The updated safety system, already on sale in Japan, delivers true no-hands, auto-navigating highway driving from on-ramp to off-ramp, automatically passing cars on the way.

Also on tap is ProPilot Remote Park, an autonomous valet system operated via smartphone.

Easy integration with smartphones is a focal point of the new human-machine interface. It meshes car navigation with mobile phone access and has a virtual assistant to help out.

The Ariya ditches the front grille in favor of a "shield" that subtly illuminates in a three-dimensional texture when driven to reveal the Nissan brand's V-motion design signature.

The crossover gets a low-profile roofline for aerodynamics and sporty looks.

It uses short front and rear overhangs and a so-called light blade that projects from the tapered rear, almost like a spoiler, with an embedded taillight traversing the body.

The concept is infused with features meant to reflect a "Timeless Japanese Futurism" esthetic, Arroba said, using abstract concepts of Japanese art. The open cabin embodies ma, the Japanese idea of mastering empty space. The notion of sei manifests itself in the geometric detailing decorating the door interiors. And the bold stance and front fascia express kabuku, which connotes a daringness to be different.

Its minimalist instrument panel is uncluttered by buttons and switches and stretches out like a broad video screen in front of the driver. The only physical controls are the start button, a single knob for the display and the climate switches.

"Minimal beauty and seamlessness was our mantra," Arroba said. "Electric power is pure and clean. It's super powerful. We wanted to develop this car with the same mindset."

Urvaksh Karkaria contributed to this report.