It is undeniable that Nissan has taken its place in the history of the automotive world. Not like Nissan, but still like Datsun, I have the best memories of it, so I wrote an article about them for the Jornal dos Classicos. my childhood stories …
The brand also recently broke with the founding with the launch of the Qasqhai (and fashion sneakers), which created a new market segment that stands out in the automotive world today.
He later had the courage to launch the Leaf – the first 100% electric – at a time when the world was looking for alternatives to sustainable mobility, but at the same time provided the right autonomy for almost the entire audience.
And today that led us to launch Ariya, which the brand has high hopes for as it competes with the Ionic 5, the new Kia, and even the Model Y.
And what is the purpose of the brand today?
The topic is very relevant and pertinent to me because it reveals the brand’s intentions – “Innovation to improve the quality of life for people” – and thus they intend to be part of the solution to the carbon neutrality of 2050, and electrification will be part of that equation.
To do this, they rely on two technologies: electronic power (will be implemented in Qasqhai and X-Trail) and 100% electric, which is the subject of this article.
Thus, the brand invested 1,000 million euros in England to create a global center for electrification (production of electric vehicles) and batteries. And here also the brand is positioning itself for Europe, building an internal and developing a new brand image for this audience, where they want to establish themselves as “a Japanese brand that intends to defy convention.”
In a highly successful presentation that focused on the brand’s new positioning and then Ariya (not yet finalized), Nissan wants to be “recognized as the Japanese brand with the most exciting range of electric crossovers.”
And what is ARIA after all?
Inspired by the Japanese culture of minimalism (simplicity + flowing lines), the coupé design is believed to have found a successful formula between electric motor, crossover and high performance.
The front boasts a new brand image with a new logo (it is not known if it can glow at the back), a new radiator grille and an all-LED light signature.
On the side, the brand refers to a design inspired by the “horizon line”, with the back of the logo in full and where the horizontal luminous signature always stands out.
As an unfinished version, some details have not yet been fully defined, as well as details such as assembly and quality of some materials. But one could understand that with the help of these presentations, the brand collects the necessary metrics from journalists and dealers, so that they can later be analyzed and included in the production version.
The minimalist interior – reminiscent of Honda and – two panels (dash and center) side-by-side and integrated into the dashboard is a trend that I welcome as it is my preference, allowing the driver not to look too far. away from the road and that the center screen doesn’t look like an almost retrofitted accessory
In this first approach, the focus on Japanese minimalism was adopted in a dashboard with straight lines and a “bare” shape, with two storage compartments and a sliding electric center console in an interior with large interior space.
The smart key recognizes the driver’s profile and adjusts the interior to suit it.
Final Notes: Updates are now available over the air; it has two engines, which guarantees full traction and, on paper, good cornering behavior; the top version has 394 hp. and the pre-sale starts in January 2022 with the first deliveries in the summer of 2022, the prices have not yet been determined and are being “finalized” – this is understandable, since a lot can change by the end of the year (drivers of the crisis, raw materials, the state budget, …)
