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John Mahoney24 Oct 2019
NEWS

Nissan’s first electric SUV "almost as fast as GT-R"

Sub-3.0sec 100km/h sprint possible for stylish X-TRAIL-sized Nissan Ariya SUV due in 2021

Nissan's global vice-president for design has let slip that the all-electric Nissan Ariya concept SUV revealed yesterday at the Tokyo motor show will offer supercar levels of performance.

Speaking to carsales in an interview only moments after Nissan’s first electric SUV made its global debut, Alfonso Albaisa said the battery-powered mid-size SUV will be “almost as fast” as the car-maker’s ballistic Nissan GT-R performance flagship.

Full details and exactly how much power the Ariya’s twin electric motor system will offer remain unknown, but for reference the 400kW-plus twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 all-wheel drive GT-R can hit 100km/h in less than three seconds.

Curiously, 24 hours after the Ariya’s unveiling, Nissan today revealed its new high-output twin-motor electric all-wheel drive system – revealed in a vehicle based on the Nissan LEAF e+ hatch -- will deliver a healthy 227kW of power and no less than 680Nm of torque.

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That sort of performance would make a mid-size SUV measuring 4.6 metres long – about the same as the Nissan X-TRAIL – a seriously rapid device, and a small hatch like the LEAF even quicker.

“Soon, Nissan will launch a next-generation EV that will be a true breakthrough,” said Takao Asami, senior vice-president for research and advanced engineering at Nissan today.

“The new electric-drive four-wheel-control technology now being developed integrates Nissan's electric propulsion and 4WD control technologies with our chassis control technology to achieve a huge leap in acceleration, cornering and braking performance, on par with the latest sports cars.”

Part of the package is front and rear motor regenerative braking to reduce dive and pitch, and independent brake control at each wheels to maximise cornering force, while “precision control of both motors provides unparalleled ride comfort”, says Nissan.

As for the Ariya, which will be based on an all-new platform shared with the third-generation LEAF, the five-door crossover will be a direct rival for mid-size battery-powered SUVs like the Tesla Model Y.

According to Nissan's Electric Vehicle Program Director, Hugues Desmarchelier, both a single-motor and dual-motor versions will be available, with the latter offering “double the power” of the base version.

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However, Nissan’s EV chief said that when the Ariya goes on sale within two years, it will be its handling -- not power -- that will create headlines.

“Our engineers have developed … a real performance car with handling that is astonishing, even in bad weather,” he said.

“Two- and all-wheel drive is to give the customer what they want. If they want super fun, then it's absolutely possible.”

Given the promised level of performance, Nissan could even produce a proper NISMO version of what could become its most in-demand EV to date.

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As well as high-performance versions, the Ariya will come with Nissan's latest ProPilot 2.0 semi-autonomous driving aids that will provide 'eyes-off' driving capability in limited circumstances such as highway driving.

Albaisa said the Nissan Ariya will have a “realistic look” when it arrives on sale in 2021, suggesting the stylish concept is close to the finished article.

When asked what part of the battery-powered concept would be dropped when it reached production, Nissan's chief designer replied that only the concept car's tyres had “virtually no chance” of being carried over.

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