Nissan Ariya Nismo marks return of performance arm

Nissan specialist tuning arm Nismo has returned with an electric flagship based on the Ariya crossover.

Revealed at the 2024 Tokyo motor show, the Ariya Nismo is the first specially honed electric model from the Japanese firm’s tuning division.

It is based on the top-specification Ariya e-4orce, but over that car it gains up to 10% more power, tuned throttle dynamics, a Nismo driving mode and a raft of more aggressive exterior design touches.

These include a more prominent front splitter, twin vortex generators on the roof, deeper side skirts and rear bumpers, and a ducktail spoiler.

Nissan says these “race-derived technologies” are designed to give the four-wheel-drive crossover as much downforce as possible.

Two specifications will be available; B6 and B9. The entry-level car uses a 66kWh battery and produces 362bhp with 413lb ft of torque. The B9, meanwhile, uses a 91kWh battery – 4kWh more than the current largest-capacity Ariya – and puts out 429bhp and 442lb ft.

This makes it considerably more powerful than the Volkswagen ID 4 GTX but slightly less so than the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT.

Nissan has not revealed a 0-62mph time or top speed. However, we expect it to be much faster than the current quickest Ariya, which takes 5.1sec to dispatch 62mph and maxes out at 124mph.

The two-tonne B6 is lighter than the B9, which comes in at around 200kg heavier. The B9 also sits lower than the B6 by 5-10mm.

Underneath, the Ariya Nismo has tyres that have been developed specifically for it, with 20in alloys to improve its line-tracing and cornering ability on track. Nissan promises that the car will deliver “exemplary” handling.

The cabin is largely the same as the standard car’s, albeit with body-hugging Nismo-branded sports seats trimmed in suede and red pinstriping.

It also gets a red pinstripe on its side skirts and front and rear bumpers.

Nissan says that “no decision has been made” on whether the flagship SUV will enter markets outside of Japan.