If the regular Nissan Ariya is too pedistrian for your liking, there’s now a Nismo version.
It took a little while for Nissan to actually roll out its next-generation EV, and since then it’s been marketing the Ariya in every conceivable way. First it took on a pole-to-pole expedition on all-electric power (and massive 39-inch tires, to boot), and now there’s a sportier version if the regular e-4orce models just don’t cut it for you. The Nissan Ariya Nismo debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon, and while there’s no official word on whether it will make it to the U.S. just yet…you’d have to imagine there’s a strong case to do so, given the competition.
Two versions of the hotter Ariya Nismo debuted for the Japanese market: the B6 and the B9. Differences between the two mainly boil down to battery capacity and overall grunt. The B6 runs on a 66-kWh battery pack, and it’s dual-motor setup cranks out 362 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque, or about 27 hp more than your standard AWD Ariya e-4orce Engage trim. The B9 is much more powerful, turning the output up to 413 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque, which is 24 hp over the standard “Plus” e-4orce variants.
Nissan says it boosted the electric motors’ peak output by about 10% and made “special acceleration tuning”, including a new Nismo-specific driving mode. They also added a sound generator that is “evocative of Formula E racing”, which the company contends makes the car even more exciting.
On the styling front, the Nissan Ariya Nismo brings in a more aggressive-looking front bumper, signature red accents all around and Nismo-specific 20-inch gloss black wheels wrapped in 255/45-R20 Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires. Inside, you get sportier bucket seats, more red-accented trim and “high quality features”, though the interior does look broadly similar to the standard Ariya, Nismo flourishes aside. At 182.9 inches long overall, 65.7 inches in height and 74.8 inches wide, the Ariya Nismo’s footprint matches the standard models.
Since there’s no word on whether this hotter version will make it to the U.S., prospective pricing is a complete mystery at this point. Odds are, if it did come here Nissan would price the Ariya Nismo a few thousand above the top-end model you can currently buy. So, expect a price tag of around $70,000 if the automaker announces availability to American buyers at all. As far as competition, this car would compete in the same vein as the Tesla Model Y Performance, as well as the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, Kia EV6 GT and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
