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Nissan's performance subsidiary that gave us the gussied-up GT-R and Z NISMO has sprinkled its magic fairy dust on the battery-powered Ariya. While it's not the first SUV to get the sporty treatment (Juke, we're looking at you), it is the first production EV to wear a NISMO badge. Among the upgrades are a boisterous body kit, NISMO's trademark red accents inside and out, and some notable performance gains.
Remember the Nissan LEAF? This ain't that. The standard Ariya has improved on Nissan's fledgling EV in just about every way, and the NISMO ups the ante even more in the performance sector. This car is based on the Ariya e-4ORCE, which is the regular SUV's most powerful, all-wheel drive variant with a painfully miscalculated name.
Over in Japan––the only place the Ariya NISMO is headed for now––there are two available trims dubbed B6 and B9. The B6 model is the less powerful of the pair, making 362 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque from its dual motors and 66.0-kWh battery. The B9 is predictably the quicker one with increased output from its larger 91.0-kWh battery, allowing this version to deliver a healthy 429 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque.
The NISMO's additional horsepower will surely result in a slimmed-down 0-60 mph time, though we don't have the exact specs. Note that the Ariya e-4ORCE upon which this model is based makes it to 60 mph from a standstill in a mediocre 5.0 seconds, so here's to hoping the NISMO shaves that down by a decent margin.
On the outside, this Ariya can't be mistaken for anything but a NISMO, with distinctive red accents along the bottom trim panels, along with a black on red color scheme inside with performance-oriented front bucket seats and what appears to be some sort of Alcantara-like material on the dash and upper door panels.
Elsewhere, NISMO engineers tweaked the Ariya's power delivery for faster acceleration and a more thrilling driving demeanor. There's also a NISMO-specific driving mode that is said to increase responsiveness, and the chassis has been tuned for more supple handing. And much like the majority of other performance EVs, Nissan added artificial noises to mimic Formula E racing.
Japanese customers have been told to expect the Ariya NISMO this coming spring, but it remains to be seen whether the executives at Nissan's U.S. headquarters will be willing to bring this stateside.
Image Credits: Nissan
Revealed
Jan 25, 2024
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Nissan Ariya Gets The NISMO Treatment, U.S. Availability Is A Mystery
The over-the-top body kit is joined by legitimate performance upgrades.
Nissan's performance subsidiary that gave us the gussied-up GT-R and Z NISMO has sprinkled its magic fairy dust on the battery-powered Ariya. While it's not the first SUV to get the sporty treatment (Juke, we're looking at you), it is the first production EV to wear a NISMO badge. Among the upgrades are a boisterous body kit, NISMO's trademark red accents inside and out, and some notable performance gains.
Remember the Nissan LEAF? This ain't that. The standard Ariya has improved on Nissan's fledgling EV in just about every way, and the NISMO ups the ante even more in the performance sector. This car is based on the Ariya e-4ORCE, which is the regular SUV's most powerful, all-wheel drive variant with a painfully miscalculated name.
Over in Japan––the only place the Ariya NISMO is headed for now––there are two available trims dubbed B6 and B9. The B6 model is the less powerful of the pair, making 362 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque from its dual motors and 66.0-kWh battery. The B9 is predictably the quicker one with increased output from its larger 91.0-kWh battery, allowing this version to deliver a healthy 429 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque.
The NISMO's additional horsepower will surely result in a slimmed-down 0-60 mph time, though we don't have the exact specs. Note that the Ariya e-4ORCE upon which this model is based makes it to 60 mph from a standstill in a mediocre 5.0 seconds, so here's to hoping the NISMO shaves that down by a decent margin.
On the outside, this Ariya can't be mistaken for anything but a NISMO, with distinctive red accents along the bottom trim panels, along with a black on red color scheme inside with performance-oriented front bucket seats and what appears to be some sort of Alcantara-like material on the dash and upper door panels.
Elsewhere, NISMO engineers tweaked the Ariya's power delivery for faster acceleration and a more thrilling driving demeanor. There's also a NISMO-specific driving mode that is said to increase responsiveness, and the chassis has been tuned for more supple handing. And much like the majority of other performance EVs, Nissan added artificial noises to mimic Formula E racing.
Japanese customers have been told to expect the Ariya NISMO this coming spring, but it remains to be seen whether the executives at Nissan's U.S. headquarters will be willing to bring this stateside.
Image Credits: Nissan
