Nissan opens orders for new all-electric Ariya SUV

Nissan has opened orders for its Ariya all-electric cross-over SUV in its home market of Japan, offering a lineup of limited edition models with two battery sizes and two powertrain options.

Nissan said on Friday that the Ariya B6 limited edition two-wheel-drive model with a 63kWh battery offering 450km of range was expected to be made available to customers in Japan by the end of the year, with other models to follow.

The automaker said pricing for the Ariya would start at around ¥6.6 million ($A78,200), with standard models likely to start at around ¥5 million (just under $A60,000 translated), after available government subsidies.

Nissan officially launched the Ariya in Japan in July of 2020, marking the automaker’s first new all-electric model aimed at the consumer market since the Leaf was launched a decade before.

The Ariya brought with it the promise of considerably more range than the Leaf, with an 87kWh battery option in two-wheel drive models slated to deliver up to 610km of driving with 178kW/300Nm, or 580km driving range with 290kW/600Nm for the dual motor option.

For Nissan, the Ariya is said to mark the “next chapter in the Nissan EV story,” as a stylish and innovative crossover that combines the automaker’s expertise in electric vehicles with the latest connected technologies.

The exterior design is said to be inspired by a Japanese aesthetic Nissan calls Timeless Japanese Futurism, while the inside of the car is said to feel “more like a modern café,” with space created by the car maker’s new EV platform, which allows for a flat floor and minimal components.

The Ariya limited edition interior includes a panoramic glass roof, leather seats and a BOSE Premium Sound System with 10 speakers for “concert-hall sound” quality.

Additional limited-edition features include front-door kick plates sporting an illuminated Ariya logo, floor mats in an exclusive color with a Japanese stone garden motif, “to convey both traditional Japanese beauty and advanced technology.”

Outside of Japan, Nissan said it would begin taking pre-orders for Ariya in other launch markets later in 2021. This will, according to reports, eventually include Australia, although not in any great hurry.

“With the current state of EV policy in Australia we wouldn’t be considered a primary market for future (electric) vehicles. There will be other markets that are seen as much more progressive that will take command of those EVs early on,” Nissan Australia’s managing director Stephen Lester was quoted as saying in April.