The Nissan Ariya Concept is a glimpse of a near-future midsize crossover EV from Nissan representing Nissan’s completely re-imagined design philosophy, centred on seamless connectivity and a minimal, cohesive design, mixed with pure electrified power.
“It’s ultra-sleek, seamless, sharp and powerful,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s senior vice president of global design. “The groundbreaking platform dreamed by our engineers, and shaped by our advanced electric powertrain and packaging, inspired our global design team to reflect and give form to the innovation within. Ariya is a name that will be synonymous with the brilliant new vision of design and engineering at Nissan.”
In the context of the new Nissan Ariya Concept, the name represents strength of purpose and the vehicle’s mission to provide a more confident, more exciting and more connected driving experience.
Embedded in a hillside deep in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture lies Nissan’s Global Design Center. There, Executive Design Director Satoru Tai focuses on Nissan’s next design horizon – a new direction that speaks in simple, clean lines.
Tai-san sees a future where less is more in terms of what we see and what we interact with in our daily lives. The vision has come fully into focus at the show with the unveiling of the bold Ariya Concept. Together, these electric vehicles promise to usher in a new era of design made possible by Nissan Intelligent Mobility, the company’s vision for changing how vehicles are powered, driven and connected to society.
In a recent interview, Tai expanded on Nissan’s new design direction and how it seamlessly blends into the customer’s connected lifestyle.
Why did Nissan establish a new design direction?
Tai: The Ariya Concept and IMk are the latest design icons of Nissan Intelligent Mobility. They are bookends that showcase the broad spectrum of the Nissan Intelligent Mobility landscape, from the urban commuter to the family-size crossover SUV. Both vehicles embody the possibilities of instant, clean, powerful driving performance in a seamless manner. They express the connectivity and autonomous capability of the coming era in a distinct, Nissan-branded way.
What are the key points of the new design language?
Tai: Nissan’s new design philosophy centres on a Japanese minimal approach to accent advanced technology that blends seamlessly into the two concept vehicles and a customer’s lifestyle. These serve as key elements in what we call “Timeless Japanese Futurism.” A minimal approach mainly refers to the physical form – such as the IMk’s simple, yet striking exterior shape or Ariya Concept’s sleek body that minimizes drag coefficient. These seamless expressions display the potential of EVs and future driving technology in a distinctly Japanese way.
Timeless Japanese Futurism is a way for Nissan to maintain an iconic, traditional Japanese flavour, but re-imagined with a refreshing perspective.
Who did you consider to be the target customers for the Ariya?
Tai: For the Nissan Ariya Concept, the target customer is a young driver with a family. We really wanted this car to be an expression of that person. Ideally, I see this person as someone who can afford anything but chooses this vehicle, because it relays a strong EV message in a cool, sporty way.
Stay tuned to these pages for more information on Nissan’s new design language and how the Ariya evolves into the next generation of Nissan vehicles available to the public.
Please Note: The details of this article were accurate at the time it was written. Manufacturers may change the details of any vehicle’s specifications, at any time, without notice.
