New Nissan electric small SUV gets green light

Nissan has confirmed that it will produce an all-new electric small SUV that will slot into its range below the forthcoming 2021 Nissan Ariya.

The official green light for the new model came at an announcement overnight of a £1 billion ($A1.84bn) investment into electric vehicle and EV battery production at the Japanese auto giant’s manufacturing facilities in the UK.

The new crossover will be based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CMF-EV platform designed specifically for battery-electric vehicles, and it could follow the Nissan Ariya into Aussie showrooms next year.

The bigger Ariya is scheduled to arrive in Australia in the final quarter of this year, priced from about $60,000.

Details of the new electric crossover are still to be confirmed, but it’s expected to be a similar size to the Nissan JUKE, which is built at the same factory.

Official sketches released with the announcement show a distinctly sporty flavour with a sloping roofline, short overhangs and a striking full-width rear lighting arrangement.

The new SUV is in line to be fitted with the Ariya’s E-4ORCE all-wheel drive system, as well as the same 65kWh battery that should push its driving range to around 500km.

For now, Nissan will only say that it “promises next-generation vehicle styling, efficiency and battery technology, making the switch to electric driving even more accessible”.

The announcement comes as part of Nissan’s EV36Zero initiative, which includes an all-new battery production facility built along similar lines to Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada.

Nissan says the Sunderland factory will supply batteries for up to 100,000 EVs per year, bringing an extra 6200 jobs to the site. According to the Japanese car-maker, the EV hub will bring together “electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery production, setting a blueprint for the future of the automotive industry”.