Nissan’s future EV plans could include the launch of a sub-compact crossover with the footprint of the current Juke, according to Nissan Europe’s general manager Nicolas Bozek. The Japanese carmaker is looking to expand its EV model range after the launch of the new Ariya SUV, which is Nissan’s first model to be based upon the Alliance’s EV-specific CMF-EV architecture. The same platform will underpin the upcoming electric Renault Megane as well.
Nissan confirmed last year that the CMF-EV
architecture will appear on more models down the line, with Nissan Europe’s EV
boss Helen Perry saying to Auto Express: “For sure, there will be usage for the
[CMF-EV] platform for something more than Ariya. We wouldn’t have invested in a
brand-new Alliance platform unless there was other usage planned.”
And now, Nicolas Bozek confirmed that
Nissan’s latest E-4ORCE electric all-wheel-drive system, which will debut in
the Ariya, will find its way on other new models in the near future. In
addition to dual-motor versions of the upcoming small electric SUV, it’s safe
to assume that Nissan will offer more affordable single-motor variants, as it
does with the bigger Ariya.
And thanks to the superior packaging of an
EV-specific platform, Nissan’s electric small SUV will offer more space and
comfort than the current Juke despite being similarly sized on the outside. Nissan’s
new small electric SUV will probably share a lot of design cues from the Ariya,
which in top trim will offer a combined 389 HP from its twin electric motors
and a 90 kWh battery pack.
