Nissan to shrink the electric Ariya

Nissan will follow up its all-new pure-electric 2021 Nissan Ariya SUV with a smaller JUKE-sized version to rival the upcoming Peugeot e-2008.

According to Auto Express, the new entry EV will be based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CMF-EV architecture that has been specially created for battery-powered vehicles.

Despite being smaller and perhaps considerably cheaper than the Ariya, which is set to cost about $60,000 Down Under, the small electric SUV will still pack many of its bigger brother's technologically advanced features.

Senior Nissan insiders have tipped the small SUV will come with the Ariya's new E-4ORCE all-wheel drive system that has been designed to match the legendary Nissan GT-R's ATTESA AWD.

Confirming E-4ORCE would resurface in other vehicles, Nissan Europe's product boss Nicolas Bozek told the British magazine: "We think it will have a place down the road in other models.

"We are quite strong in the B-segment [supermini SUV class]," Bozek said. “It could be quite interesting on this kind of car."

Virtually linking the front- and rear-mounted electric motors, E-4ORCE is claimed to provide torque vectoring front and rear and across the axle that can't be matched by a mechanical system.

Cleverer still, E-4ORCE can also reduce pitch and roll and allows the car to remain flat when cornering and under braking.

As well as all-wheel drive versions, two-wheel drive models will be offered.

The driving range, meanwhile, thanks to its Ariya-sourced 65kWh battery, should extend to at least 500km and be capable of 100kW fast-charging.

Both inside and out, the smaller battery-powered SUV is set to recapture the stunning Ariya's styling cues, with the cabin dominated by twin LCD screens.

Thanks to its clever packaging, and a lack of a traditional internal combustion engine, space should be generous inside, with far more room compared to the current Nissan JUKE.

As well as a smaller take on the Ariya, Nissan is also plotting an electric SUV-coupe, says the insider, but no dates have been given when either model will arrive.

When it does it will size up against the Hyundai Kona Electric and the MG ZS EV, with pricing likely to be pitched at a similar low-to-mid-$40,000 mark as the battery-powered ZS.

In 2022, the Peugeot e-2008 is set to also arrive in Australia as car-makers expect demand for electric vehicles will begin to ramp up rapidly in the next few years.

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