Did you forget that the 2021 Nissan Ariya, an electric crossover which should conceptually appeal to millions of people, is being revealed tonight? It’s OK, Ford Bronco fever fezzed us all up. But, the Ariya is going to be live in about an hour. Seems like somebody on Twitter might have gotten the drop on it, though.
Check it:
I don’t know Cole Marzen, but this has popped up on Drivetribe, Carscoops, and other places ss well. Nissan’s PR contact for EVs and crossovers hit me back quickly when I asked them about it, but essentially said “no comment.” (Which is standard and to be expected.) The car will be out in an hour anyway, but we’re in the business of getting new car info up as quickly as possible so here you go!
(I know, to accomplish that, I should have been scanning Twitter for non-Bronco news earlier, as this tweet has been up all day. Oh well.)
Anyway I initially thought to dismiss these pictures, assuming they were just shots of the concept, but Jalopnik bossman Rory Carroll took a closer look at the shots and pointed out that:
- The door handles are different (look less dainty)
- The rearview mirrors are larger (look more “normal”)
- There are sharkfin radio antennas (the concept model didn’t need to get radio.)
Considering those factors, I’d say it’s likely the vehicle in these pictures are indeed the about-to-be-live Nissan Ariya.
All we really know about the Ariya is that it’s supposed to keep its battery in its floor and will (probably?) have a dual motor setup. Drivetribe posted some more specs, but, I’ll just wait for the official press release to confirm at this point.
The design concept was first dropped in Tokyo last year and I called it “bland,” but revisiting, that phrasing feels harsh. I’m not exactly enthralled with the look of this thing, but if it delivers practical EV driving performance for a reasonable price, it’ll be worth paying attention to.
You could trace the look even further back to the IMx Concept, but as I said, if the pics in that tweet are indeed the real car, which does seem likely (I bet the car was snapped while staging for the reveal stream), it bears a remarkably close resemblance to the 2019 concept.
Stay tuned for official info when the car drops at 10:00 p.m. pacific time tonight.