Another day, another future Nissan product leaked via patent images.
This time it’s what appears to be a production version of the Ariya concept from last year’s Tokyo motor show, the brand’s first electric SUV and its response to the Tesla Model Y.
Instagram user cars_secrets obtained the patent images from Argentina’s National Industrial Property Office.
They reveal the electric crossover will look much like the concept car.
The front fascia, for example, differs only in the detail of the lower air dam.
Patent drawings can conceal certain details like wheel design and brightwork.
It’s clear from the side image, however, that a strip of chrome trim will continue to form an arc from the base of the windscreen to the base of the rear window.
The trim at the base of the doors also retains its distinctive upkick.
The concept used 21-inch alloy wheels but smaller ones could be fitted to the production version.
Moving around to the back, there are no changes to speak of.
The Ariya, therefore, was a near production-ready concept.
That means the production version should still measure around 4600mm long, 1630mm tall, and 1920mm wide (excluding the mirrors).
For comparison, Nissan’s mid-size X-Trail is 4690mm long, 1740mm tall, and 1820mm wide.
Though the Ariya is fractionally shorter, its interior is expected to be more spacious due to the position of the battery pack under the floor and what’s likely to be a longer wheelbase.
The patent images don’t show the production car’s interior, though the concept had quite a realistic interior by concept car standards.
It was distinguished through its almost complete absence of buttons and knobs. The only physical controls to be found were the start button, some buttons for the climate control, and a knob for the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
Nissan revealed the Ariya concept featured dual-motor all-wheel drive and Nissan’s latest semi-autonomous driving technology, ProPilot 2.0, but didn’t release any details about its battery capacity or outputs.
We expect the production Ariya – if it’s called that – will offer both single- and dual-motor set-ups. It’s also likely the EV SUV will be officially launched in 2021, though it has yet to be confirmed for Australia.
