2024 Nissan Ariya for the U.S.: Features & updates that we expect

After a year of delay, the Nissan Ariya finally went on sale in the United States as a 2023 model last year. California-based dealer, Nissan of Tustin, delivered the first Ariyas in America on December 18, 2022. Later this year, a model year revision is expected to bring small updates to the Japanese EV. Here’s what we expect from the 2024 Nissan Ariya. Kindly be aware that the details and accompanying images in this article are reflective of the current model year, and we will update this page as additional information becomes available.

Design

The 2024 Nissan Ariya will be a carryover model, meaning it’s unlikely to have any design changes from the outgoing vehicle. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing as its design is still relatively new, especially in the United States where sales only began in December 2022.

Nissan may revise the standard/optional equipment of some of the grades of the Ariya, and maybe even change a few color options, with the 2024 model year update.

The company offers the SUV in Engage, Engage+, Venture+, Evolve+, Empower+, Premiere, and Platinum+ grades. Gun Metallic, Black Diamond Pearl, Northern Lights Metallic, Everest White Pearl TriCoat / Black Diamond Pearl (two-tone), Brilliant Silver Metallic / Black Diamond Pearl (two-tone), Boulder Gray Pearl / Black Diamond Pearl (two-tone), Deep Ocean Blue Pearl / Black Diamond Pearl, and Sunrise Copper Pearl / Black Diamond Pearl are the color options.

The Ariya looks like no other Nissan model on the market, and that’s because it follows a new design theme – “Timeless Japanese Futurism.” The all-electric SUV-coupe exudes power with grace and simplicity, easily relatable to Japanese designs. A sleek silhouette and smooth, seamless surfaces make it look built to cut through the air with a breeze.

The Ariya has a chic design, but at the same time, it also has some attributes that portray dominance and sportiness. The thin LED headlamps built of four 20-mm mini-projectors, the giant “aerodynamic shield” in place of a traditional grille, and the drop-down LED DRLs let onlookers know exactly what’s coming their way. The new brand logo, positioned at the center of the aerodynamic shield, is illuminated, adding to the vehicle’s sci-fi first impression.

Black underbody cladding goes from the front all the way to the rear and complements the chunky alloy wheels in contributing to the classic SUV traits. At the rear, a steeply raked C-pillar merges flawlessly into the deck. That and the quickly sloping roofline are principal to the Ariya’s low-slung, sporty stance. The rear combination lamps had to have drama like the front lights, and the combined light blade with a blackened treatment ensures that.

Dimension	Measurement
Length	182.9 in.
Width	74.8 in.
Height	65.4-65.7 in.
Wheelbase	109.3 in.

Interior

The 2024 Nissan Ariya may not receive any visual changes on the interior, as the outgoing model is already quite appealing. However, the new model may come with slightly different features depending on factors such as customer feedback, part availability, and cost.

Nissan says that the interior is closer to a sleek cafe lounge on a starship than an ordinary vehicle cabin (no reason to argue on that!). The dashboard has been designed to look sleeker and seamlessly merge with the door panels. It aligns with the vehicle’s minimalist nature, perhaps in the highest degree of all parts, with almost no physical controls. The company has integrated the primary climate control functions into a wooden center dash – premium and close to nature – with capacitive haptic switches.

The steering wheel is a fancy two-spoke unit, underscoring the “less is more” philosophy. Two large displays – a fully digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen central display – are positioned upright to allow the driver to view information and easily access the infotainment system. ProPILOT Assist 2.0, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, and Nissan Safety Shield 360 are among the available features.

Range & Performance

Along with a striking exterior and a minimalist interior, the Ariya rides on a brand new Alliance platform, the CMF-EV, which is a dedicated EV platform. Nissan offers it in four power electric (PE) configurations, and it may not change them with the 2024 model year update. The trims in which these configurations are available in the 2024 model year might be different from MY2023, though. Some efficiency-related tweaks may lead to improved EPA-est. range figures.

Currently, four power electric (PE) configurations are available, and we’ve classified them as follows for a simpler understanding:

• SR FWD (Standard-Range Front Wheel Drive)
• ER FWD (Extended-Range Front Wheel Drive)
• SR AWD (Standard-Range All Wheel Drive)
• ER AWD (Extended-Range All Wheel Drive)

The SR FWD and SR AWD configurations share a 63 kWh battery pack, while the ER FWD and ER AWD configurations share an 87 kWh battery pack. The battery packs of the Nissan Ariya, unlike those of the Leaf, are liquid-cooled.

The SR FWD configuration has a 214 hp/221 lb.-ft. front motor, and its EPA-est. range is 216 miles. The ER FWD configuration has a 238 hp/221 lb.-ft. front motor, and its EPA-est. range is 289 miles (Evolve+, Empower+, and Premiere)/304 miles (Venture+).

The SR AWD configuration sports two motors, one at the front and one at the rear, which produce 335 hp and 413 lb.-ft. of torque. According to Nissan’s calculation, it should deliver a range of 207 miles. The ER AWD configuration combines two punchier motors that produce 389 hp and 442 lb.-ft. of torque. If specified with 19-inch wheels, Nissan’s estimate is that it can deliver a range of 268 miles (Platinum+) or 272 miles (Engage+ and Evolve+). With the optional 20″ wheels, the company expects its range to be lower – 258 miles.

Aspect	SR FWD	ER FWD	SR AWD	ER AWD
No. of Motors	One (Front)	One (Front)	Two (Front & Rear)	Two (Front & Rear)
Power	214 hp	238 hp	335 hp	389 hp
Torque	221 lb.-ft.	221 lb.-ft.	413 lb.-ft.	442 lb.-ft.
Battery Pack Capacity	63 kWh	87 kWh	63 kWh	87 kWh
Range	216 miles [EPA-est.]	289 or 304 miles [EPA-est.]	207 miles [Nissan-est.]	268 or 272 miles (with 19″ wheels)/258 miles (with 20″ wheels) [Nissan-est.]
Max. AC Charging Power	7.2 kW	7.2 kW	7.2 kW	7.2 kW
Level 2 Charging Time (0-100% SoC)	10.5 hours	14 hours	14 hours	14 hours
Max. DC Charging Power	130 kW	130 kW	130 kW	130 kW
Level 3 Charging Time (20-80% SoC)	35 minutes (at 130 kW)/65 minutes (at 50 kW)	40 minutes (at 130 kW)/90 minutes (at 50 kW)	40 minutes (at 130 kW)/90 minutes (at 50 kW)	40 minutes (at 130 kW)/90 minutes (at 50 kW)
Towing Capacity	Not Available	Not Available	1,500 lbs.	1,500 lbs.

Charging

Customers can charge their Ariya at up to 7.2 kW on alternating current or at up to 130 kW on direct current. With a Level 2 charger, charging from 0 to 100% SoC takes 10.5 hours (63 kWh battery pack)/14 hours (87 kWh battery pack). With a Level 3 charger, charging from 20 to 80% SoC can be as quick as 35 minutes 63 kWh battery pack)/40 minutes (87 kWh battery pack).

The Ariya is quite slow in DC fast-charging compared to its rivals. Nissan may increase its maximum charging input from 130 kW to 150 kW or higher to make that process quicker with the MY2024 update.

Nissan Ariya home charger

2024 Ariya customers in the U.S. will be able to use Wallbox’s Pulsar Plus home charger, which retails at USD 699. Nissan started offering this charger at its local dealers in early July 2022, along with the convenience of scheduling the installation online through nissanusa.com. The company said that it will provide a rebate on the charger and installation to customers who purchase through the new program with Wallbox.

Wallbox Pulsar Plus is a Matte Black Level 2 (240V) charger that allows charging on alternating current at up to 9.6 kW. It has a 25-inch cable and supports voice control through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Price

Prices of the 2024 Nissan Ariya in the U.S. may start at around USD 43,500 and go up to around USD 60,500.

With the Inflation Reduction Act enacted, Clean Vehicle Credit has replaced Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit under the Biden administration. Had Nissan launched the Ariya in the U.S. in late 2021 as originally planned, at least a few thousand customers could have saved up to USD 7,500 on their purchase under the scheme.

Clean Vehicle Credit requires the final assembly of the electrified vehicle to take place in North America, which makes the Ariya ineligible for subsidy as it stands. The U.S. gets the Leaf from the local Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant (Tennessee), but the Ariya is shipped from the Nissan Tochigi Plant, which is located in Japan.

Nissan Ariya availability in the U.S. to be scarce in 2023

In a National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) meeting between Nissan and its approximately 200 dealers in the U.S., the company cautioned the retailers about limited availability of the Ariya for the rest of the year, Automotive News reported on January 29, 2023. The Japanese automaker cited rising material cost for batteries as the primary factor behind its decision to limit the supply of the Ariya for the U.S. market, notes the report.

Nissan Dealer Advisory Board Chairman Tyler Slade told the American publication that dealers have potential buyers queued for the Ariya, but there simply aren’t enough units available to fulfill the demand.

The Nissan Ariya has arrived at a time when the demand for electric SUVs is witnessing a boom in America. Given its SUV body style, range, price, and high-end technologies, it should become Nissan’s best-selling electric car. Nissan sold just 14,239 units of the Leaf in the USA in 2021. 2022 didn’t was worse for the compact electric hatchback, with even fewer, 12,025 units delivered. We expect the more advanced Ariya to be far more popular once supply stabilizes.

Nissan U.S. electrification strategy

“I’m signing an executive order setting out a target of 50 percent of all passenger vehicles sold by 2030 will be electric,” U.S. President Joe Biden announced on August 5, 2021. On the same day, Nissan announced that it plans to convert more than 40% of U.S. vehicle sales to pure-electric models by 2030. The announcement followed the company’s January 2021 statement that confirmed the electrification of the entire Nissan product lineup in key markets like Japan, China, the U.S., and European countries by the early 2030s. The Japanese automaker’s ultimate goal is to achieve carbon neutrality across operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050.

Nissan Ariya NISMO variant

Guillaume Cartier, Chairperson, Nissan (AMIEO), told Top Gear that the brand is looking at bringing the NISMO badge back under the spotlight, according to the publication’s May 4, 2022 report. The brand currently has the Ariya, Leaf, and the upcoming Micra electric, which could wear the NISMO badge, but an official decision is awaited. An Ariya NISMO could be on the table, considering the growing demand for SUVs. Enthusiasts would love to bet on a performance-focused Ariya, and many customers would be seeking an alternative to the VW ID.5 GTX, Kia EV6 GT, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and the Skoda Enyaq Coupe RS iV.

What would an Ariya NISMO look like? Our illustration (unofficial render) above has been curated to shed light on what to expect. Our NISMO treatment includes aggressive bumpers, side body cladding in black and red, red brake calipers, 20-inch black alloy wheels and a fixed rear wing to give the SUV physics-defying performance. A lowered ride height and a sprinkling of red accents would seal the deal. As for the cabin, we’d expect bucket seats, red and black faux leather upholstery, metal-finish pedals, a G-force meter, and a lap timer.

Powertrain-wise, Nissan may build on the Ariya e-4ORCE AWD version. Chassis upgrades, including stiffened suspension and recalibrated steering and brakes, would make the Nismo hard to resist. Nissan may also use learnings from motorsport and Formula E, especially to finetune the NISMO models. As for the launch, it’s unlikely to be released as part of the upcoming model year. However, we expect more information about this variant to come in the following year.

TopElectricSUV says

With four different power-electric (PE) configurations, seven trim options, and a wide price range, the Ariya has something for everyone. Multiple delays in the launch and losing the eligibility for federal tax credits did ruin the excitement for some Ariya customers, though, and Nissan needs to bring its A-game and speed up deliveries to avoid losing reservations to rivals. Over time, the company will need to lower prices to make it more competitive against the VW ID.4, and that looks to be achievable through localization in North America.

2024 Nissan Ariya FAQs

Featured image: Nissan