Nissan Arizona Electric Pickup Imagined As Rivian R1T Rival

Developed in China with the local market in mind, the Nissan Arizon may or may not preview a production vehicle, and given that we haven't heard anything about it in almost half a year makes us believe it was nothing more than a design study. On the other hand, developing a new car takes time (and money), so, who knows, maybe they will actually bring it to life.

From a technical perspective, it should be close to a walk in the park. The reason is the architecture, as it was based on the CMF-EV, and it is the same platform used on the Nissan Ariya, Renault Megane E-Tech, and Scenic E-Tech. The construction supports single and dual-motor powertrains, backed up by large battery packs for a more-than-decent range with them fully charged.

Now, while the Arizon may or may not have previewed a production vehicle, it was used as a blank canvas to come up with a pickup design in the digital realm. The pixel manipulator behind these renderings is Theottle, who took to YouTube recently to release these sketches and reveal the creation process. The CGIs were based on the Rivian R1T, which has received some of the styling traits of Nissan's show car, and instead of imagining it as a crossover, the renderer gave it an open-bed pickup body style.

The front end of the so-called Nissan Arizona has become a bit more realistic. It has dual headlamps, a new small grille decorated by the brand's logo, and a tweaked bumper that still includes the skid plate on the lower part. The muscular hood soldiers on, and so do the squared-off wheel arches. The doors have flush-mounted handles, the traditional side mirrors have replaced the cameras, and the side skirts are just as bulky.

Moving to the back end of the electric pickup, we can see that the overhang has increased to make room for the open bed. The full-width taillights have a more realistic styling, and the Nissan lettering was moved to the tailgate handle. The overall shape of the rear bumper, including the aluminum-style skid plate, looks about the same, and the trim that was found on the concept's D-pillars was moved to the C-pillars. Wrapped in chunky rubber, the wheels are new, and the vehicle still has a generous ground clearance.

We think launching a battery-electric unibody pickup could turn out to be a wise investment for Nissan, especially since they already have the tools and knowledge to make it happen. But would you be ready to spend your money on one?