Nissan will pull the wraps off their
Ariya Concept at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, but the cat’s
already out of the bag. The first images of the show car that were circulated on the web by
Creative Trend and Web Car depict an electric crossover, with large enclosed
grille, LED lights and sloping roofline, vaguely inspired by the IMx and IMQ
concepts.
We knew that Nissan was readying an electric
crossover, a prototype of which was shown to U.S. dealers at a meeting in
August, according to an Autonews report, with a near production concept being
prepared for the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show.
Those who saw it at the dealer meeting in the States
described it as having a hood shorter than the IMx, on which it was largely
based, and a futuristic cabin that’s unlike anything on sale today. The vehicle
is believed to adopt the company’s next-gen semi-autonomous driving technology,
the ProPilot 2.0.
In terms of size, it’s expected to have a similar
footprint to the Rogue (called X-Trail in Europe and other markets), while the
clever packaging has reportedly opened up more space inside, comparable to the
larger Murano.
The zero-emission SUV should be quite fast, with an
estimated 0-96 km/h sprint that could take under 5 seconds. The
battery pack, whose capacity remains unknown, is said to give it a range of 483 km on a single charge. If the information checks out,
then Americans should get Nissan’s new zero-emission vehicle in the second half
of 2021.
