Hot Nissan Ariya NISMO EV teased

The 2024 Nissan Ariya NISMO has been teased for the first time ahead of its unveiling at the Tokyo Auto Salon this week.

Nissan hasn’t explicitly stated its Ariya is next in line for the high-performance NISMO treatment, but the new teaser of the car it plans to reveal in Tokyo looks identical to the Japanese brand’s battery-electric SUV.

Already spotted testing at Germany’s Nurburgring, the Ariya NISMO will go head-to-head with the likes of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N and the Kia EV6 GT.

Sitting lower to the ground than the standard Ariya EV, the prototypes we’ve seen testing featured a deep front splitter, side sill extensions, a rear diffuser and tailgate spoiler – all in the name of maximising downforce without adding range-sapping drag.

It’s been tipped that NISMO might also ramp up performance by using lightweight composite parts instead of metal body panels, while the engineering development mules we’ve spied wore lightweight 20-inch alloy wheels shod with grippier tyres.

Inside, we expect a pair of NISMO-developed bucket seats and an overall cabin design that trades some of the standard car’s elegance for a sportier, racier feel.

Beneath the skin, let’s hope to find an all-new NISMO-honed dual- or triple-motor powertrain that should at least match the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, which produces 478kW/740Nm and can reach 100km/h from rest in 3.4sec.

The Ariya NISMO should also get extensive chassis tweaks, bigger brakes and an upgraded version of Nissan’s e-4ORCE all-wheel drive tech that uses the motor to reduce pitch and dive associated with acceleration and hard driving while offering torque vectoring well beyond mechanical 4WD systems.

Ramping up engagement further, the faster Ariya NISMO will also come with a Formula E-inspired soundtrack that will draw from the car-maker’s considerable investment in the electric single-seat race series.

There’s no firm word on launch timings for the Nissan Ariya NISMO at this stage, but all should be revealed at its unveiling in Tokyo on January 12.

There’s still no sign of the much-delayed regular Nissan Ariya in Australia, but it’s thought it will finally be introduced later in 2024.