Nissan has introduced the Ariya, a 100% electric sports-utility vehicle (SUV) with a range of up to 610 km – or a one-way trip to Durban from Johannesburg or five to six days of travelling between Pretoria and Johannesburg.

The Japanese auto maker believes the Ariya is perfect for the daily commute and weekend road trips alike. 

The vehicle is set to go on sale in Japan in mid-2021.

It is also scheduled to roll out on showroom floors in Europe, North America and China by the end of next year.

The Ariya will be priced at around five-million yen in the Japanese market, which is about R780 000 at the current exchange rate.

There is no news yet on whether the vehicle is coming to South Africa.

“The Nissan Ariya is a truly beautiful and remarkable car,” says Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta.

“It enables you to go further, easier and to do so in comfort. The Ariya is designed to impress, and to express what Nissan strives for – making our customers’ lives better.”

Ariya customers can choose from multiple configurations to meet their individual needs. These include two-wheel-drive and e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive versions, as well as two different battery sizes.

The e-4ORCE all-wheel control system balances performance with all-weather capability, says Nissan.

It adds that the Ariya is also the most technologically advanced car from its stable to date.

Drivers will be able to make use of the ProPILOT 2.0 advanced driver assistance system and the ProPILOT remote park and e-pedal features. 

Also standard across the Ariya lineup is Nissan’s safety shield system. This includes features such as intelligent around-view monitor, intelligent forward collision warning, intelligent emergency braking and rear automatic emergency braking technology.

An all-new human-machine interface also lets customers use natural speech to adjust car settings. 

The Ariya also includes Amazon’s Alexa to help customers simplify and organise their lives.

Inside the vehicle, Nissan’s designers took advantage of the car’s new electric platform, which allows for a flat floor, as well as its compact climate control components, to give the Ariya an exceptionally spacious cabin.