New Models
New Models

Nissan Ariya concept: Here’s why all electric SUVs are going to look like this

Nissan has unveiled its new design direction in the form of an electric SUV. But there’s now a clear theme emerging for the styling of these types of vehicles across a wide range of brands.


The Nissan Ariya electric SUV might be a concept car for now, but the 2019 Tokyo motor show star could make its way to Australian showrooms if it goes into production.

And its design is a sign of things to come from most leading car brands.

The Ariya – which Nissan says roughly translates to “timeless Japanese futurism” – has two electric motors and the body sits on a “skateboard” style flat battery pack.

Nissan says the Ariya promises to deliver driving pleasure and brisk performance thanks to its all-wheel drive grip.

“It’s still a concept but I’m sure if it went into production it would be great for Australia,” said Nissan spokeswoman Karla Leach.

The other telling aspect of the Nissan Ariya is that curved rooflines appear to be how all electric SUVs will look in the near future. Recent concept cars from Volkswagen (below) and Skoda share the same curved silhouette.

Designers say this has been done to improve aerodynamic efficiency at freeway speeds, rather than copying someone else’s work.

“As the new icon of Nissan Intelligent Mobility, representing the next chapter in Nissan’s proud heritage of enriching people’s lives, we felt that this concept deserved to bear a memorable nameplate,” said Yasuhiro Yamauchi, representative executive officer of Nissan.

“After much deliberation, we selected Ariya, a name that is both forward thinking yet reflective of the past.”

Meanwhile, Nissan also unveiled a cool-looking city hatchback electric car called the IMK.

While it is likely to go into production it will be a Japanese-only model for now.

However, some of its technology – such as the “crystal prism meter”, which could also be described as a large iPad on the dash – could appear on other Nissan models that may make it to Australia in the future.

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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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