Under the overwhelming marketing offensive of Tesla, independent brands and new forces, the attitude of Japanese car companies to electric vehicles seems to be the most "indifferent". In fact, this is indeed the case, the technical route of Japanese car companies is not to develop and launch electric vehicles on a large scale, but in order to cope with the rapid growth of demand for electric vehicles in China and other markets, they have generally embarked on the shortcut of "oil to electricity". As for the results, everyone can see it.
LEAF Leaf
It wasn't until 2022 that we finally saw the Toyota bZ4X, Honda e:NP, and Nissan Ariya based on the all-electric platform in China. But Nissan and "Two Fields" are different, when Tesla first saw the prototype, its household pure electric car LEAF (Leaf) has already won the global electric vehicle market sales crown. Since its launch in 2010, LEAF has produced more than 500,000 units. It can also be said that Nissan has sufficient technology and market accumulation in the field of electrification technology.
With Ariya's declaration information at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and spy photos of the domestic road test being exposed, it also means that the days before this car comes to us are not far away. As the first work of the "new Nissan" era, can Ariya, which brings together the group's cutting-edge technology, stand on the shoulders of LEAF's predecessors and help Nissan regain its former "electric glory"?
Can you catch up with the late episode?
In 2010, when Elon Musk made a cameo appearance in "Iron Man 2", Nissan launched a family car with a very forward environmental concept , leaf Leaf. In the matter of automotive energy transformation, Nissan can be said to have risen early.
The original LEAF Leaf
As an electric vehicle focusing on the European market, LEAF's product characteristics are very distinct. After replacing the internal combustion engine system with an electric motor system, the 24kWh lithium-ion battery can give the vehicle a cruising range of 200km. Owners can also check the battery status at any time through their mobile phones, remotely control the vehicle's air conditioning and other systems. At the time, that was smart. After all, more than a decade ago, people's "cognition" of electric vehicles was far less than today, and there were no high requirements for mileage and intelligence.
However, with the development of the Internet, the electrification of automobiles has quietly entered the second stage, and the main sales market has shifted from Europe and the United States to China. When a group of "new car-making forces" led by Tesla vigorously developed the domestic new energy vehicle market, LEAF, a model with a single product force, began to show fatigue.
IMx concept car
In fact, Nissan is also aware of this, as early as 2017 released a concept car called IMx, the main focus is the new pure electric platform, as well as AI intelligence. Two years later, at the 2019 Tokyo International Motor Show, Nissan officially unveiled the Ariya Concept. However, it was not until July 2020 that the mass production version of Ariya was late, and the date for the domestic version to accept the scheduled version was set for April 27, 2022.
Built on Nissan's CMF-EV electrification platform, the Ariya was highly anticipated by Nissan as the first model to use the new brand logo. Its significance to Nissan is no less than that of the "Toei God of War" GT-R.
Why? According to the current overseas version of Aria,000 information, it is equipped with cutting-edge technologies within many brands, such as e-4ORCE control technology, ProPILOT 2.0 intelligent control pilot technology and Nissan Safety Shield active safety.
Take the e-4ORCE control technology as an example, which is Nissan's most advanced full-wheel control technology. Engineers referred to the ATTESA E-TS torque distribution system on the GT-R and the intelligent four-wheel drive system on Tule to create a system that can realize the automatic power output and brake control of electric vehicles, even on slippery and snowy roads, without the need for the driver to change driving habits or add additional operations, to ensure that the vehicle is driven according to the driver's control intentions. In short, while ensuring better handling, comfort is also stronger.
Nissan's explanation for this is that the four-wheel drive system does not exist entirely for high performance, but more for such a daily travel car to provide a smoother and more confident handling experience.
Another very important point is that Ariya is Nissan's transformation product in terms of digitalization. It is mainly reflected in two parts, one part is the intelligent interconnected cockpit created by the double large screen in the car, and the other part is Nissan intelligent driving, that is, ProPilot driver assistance system.
Ariya carries all of Nissan's ambitions to electrify
In the way the product is presented, ariya's most noteworthy first is the new Nissan logo that can emit light. The built-in 20 LED sensors achieve a luminous effect, and while the recognition is high, it also shows the importance of Aria. After the domestic production of Dongfeng Nissan Ariya, the appearance is basically the same as the overseas version of the model, V Motion 2.0's closed front grille with a large area of bright black embellishment, which looks very fresh, which is very important.
Dongfeng Nissan Ariya appearance declaration drawing
Dongfeng Nissan Ariya appearance declaration drawing
As a new pure electric platform product, Ariya places the battery pack in the center of the pure electric platform, providing a 50:50 front and rear axle specific gravity and an ultra-low center of gravity. Compared with the fuel vehicle platform, Ariya has a series of advantages inherent in pure electric models. According to the information released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the length, width and height of the domestic version of Aria are 4603/1900/1654mm, the wheelbase is 2775mm, the size is slightly larger than Nissan's own Qashqai, positioned as a compact SUV.
It is worth noting that the design of the overseas version of the double shark fin antenna was cancelled in the domestic version, and it is not known whether the corresponding functions will also be affected.
Overseas version of Aria interior
Ariya's creation in the interior is also close to the thinking of most traditional car companies, double screen design, simple center console modeling with through-type air conditioning outlet, plus the following row of simple switches, the overall interaction effect is also separated from Nissan's previous products, in line with the aesthetics of most consumers at the moment.
The power part that everyone cares about, Ariya Overseas Edition has two specifications of lithium battery packs, with capacities of 65kWh and 90kWh respectively. In terms of motors, four different power outputs are divided according to the battery capacity and drive form, of which the highest output is the four-wheel drive high-capacity battery version, and the acceleration time of 0-100km/h is 5.1s.
Overseas version of Aria
Dongfeng Nissan declared two versions for Aria, of which the maximum output power of a single motor is 178kW, and the maximum output power of the motor before and after the dual motor version is 160kW. At the same time, all versions are equipped with ternary lithium batteries from Dongfeng Motor's self-produced, and the mileage is expected to be 560km.
Rather than performance parameters, Nissan hopes to establish a technical image in the field of intelligence through Ariya. Nissan Zhixing technology is not a new word, but in the previous fuel vehicle series, the high-value configuration that emphasizes intelligent interconnection and driving assistance basically exists only in high-end models, and it has never been able to impress consumers to pay for it, so the concept of Nissan Zhixing is difficult to promote.
Overseas version of Aria interior
Ariya is definitely given a heavy responsibility by Nissan, whether it is a new intelligent interconnection system with two large screens as a carrier in the car, or a ProPilot 2.0 system based on 7 cameras, 5 millimeter wave radars and 12 ultrasonic radars, which is the performance of Nissan's determination to promote intelligent landing, and it is also the best opportunity for Nissan to accelerate the deployment of "Nissan Zhixing" in the Chinese market.
Master observation
Finally, speaking of selling prices, for reference, Ariya's price range in the UK market is 41,845 pounds to 58,440 pounds (about 353,200 to 493,300 yuan), which has caught up with the price of many luxury brand electric vehicles. Of course, the price of the overseas version is for reference only, after all, there is still a big difference between the overseas version and the domestic version in many places. However, considering that Ariya's positioning in China is likely to be similar to volkswagen ID.4, and the price of SAIC Volkswagen ID.4 X after subsidies is 199,888-278,288 yuan, the reasonable pricing of Ariya after domestic production has also become the top priority that Dongfeng Nissan needs to consider. With a reasonable pricing, Ariya still has a battle in terms of smart power, smart driving and smart connectivity.