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The Nissan Ariya Finally Arrives in the UK

Described as a force of wonder, the curiously named Ariya is the first dedicated EV developed by Nissan after the Leaf. With the Leaf on its way out, this crossover has many expectations to meet. Unfortunately for prospective customers, Nissan has broken a few of them.
Nissan Ariya Arriving in the UK 18 photos
Photo: Nissan
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For starters, the Ariya isn’t a cheap-and-cheerful gateway to EV ownership. The first shipment has finally arrived in the United Kingdom at the Port of Tyne, and £43,845 is a bit on the steep side of compact electric vehicles. By comparison, the Leaf e+ N-Connecta trim level that features a 59-kWh battery compared to the Ariya’s 63-kWh battery is priced from £34,945.

Obnoxiously stylized with uppercase letters throughout the press release attached below, the Ariya could have arrived sooner had it not been for a handful of delays. The Japanese automaker blames the ongoing chip shortage as the culprit, a blunder that originates from the first year of lockdowns.

Many automakers had to adjust their production outputs in 2020, and they did it again at the beginning of 2021 when lockdowns were still presented as the best counter to the coronavirus pandemic. Companies that produce chips have redirected their output to different clients, and voilà! The too-long-didn’t-read version can be summed up as follows: bad planning.

Currently not available to order in the United States because of the aforementioned bumble. Awarded the coveted “Car of the Year” accolade by Auto Express, the Ariya can be described as too little, too late by those acquainted with former Nissan chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn.

Back in September 2013, the Brazilian-born Lebanese businessman promised 1.5 million EVs on the road by 2020, from both Nissan and Renault. The Leaf sold more than 577,000 units during its 12-year tenure, and the subcompact-sized Zoe sold more than 300,000 units as of July 2020. That’s pretty far off the mark, especially if you remember that Nissan waited until 2022 to launch an electric SUV. Considering that SUVs are in high demand for quite a few years now, Nissan could have done better. Much better...

As per the WLTP standard used in the United Kingdom and European Union, the Ariya offers up to 329 miles (make that 530 kilometers) between charging stops. By comparison, the gray-haired Leaf makes do with 239 miles (385 kilometers) as long as you select the long-range battery.
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press release
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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