The Next Phase Of Electric Nissans: This Is The New 2022 Nissan Ariya

Sometimes it's difficult to fully prepare yourself for the future. It's just coming at you so fast.

Remember when Bluetooth seemed positively space age? Remember when the all-electric Nissan Leaf debuted with 117 kilometres of range, only a few years before Nissan introduced a new Leaf with 363 kilometres?

Now there's an all-new electric Nissan, an SUV with up to 482 kilometres per charge. It's called the Ariya, and it's destined to arrive in Canada later next year following a Japan launch in mid-2021. 

Nissan was first to the mass-market global EV market with the Leaf just one decade ago. Nearly half a million have been sold. But with greater ride height, more cabin space, the option of e-4ORCE all-wheel drive, and an absolute abundance of power, the Ariya is designed to operate at another level. 

Nissan's Safety Shield 360 will be standard equipment on the Ariya. That means intelligent emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear intelligent emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and auto high beams will be a part of every Ariya in Canada. There's also an enormous flat floor, an EV perk thanks to the absence of hardware, that both makes for an enormous interior but the outright sense of space. 

The Ariya is also oriented toward performance, with an expected 0-100 kph time of under 5 seconds. That's the kind of rapid acceleration you get when there's up to 443 lb-ft of torque. Making driving more fun – and more efficient – is the revolutionary e-Pedal. The e-Pedal creates a largely one-pedal experience, as modulation of the throttle amplifies acceleration and braking. 

For context, the 2022 Nissan Ariya is 182.9 inches, bumper to bumper. The 2020 Nissan Rogue is 184.5 inches long; the Qashqai stretches 173 inches front to back. 

As more details flow from Nissan regarding the trim levels and pricing for the Ariya, we'll be reporting on all updates.