Nissan on Thursday unveiled an electric single-seat race car concept that uses the powertrain from its upcoming Ariya electric SUV.
The goal of the straightforwardly named Nissan Ariya Single Seater concept is to tease the design language of future electric performance vehicles, according to a company press release.
The concept sports the “V motion” grille used on the Ariya and Nissan’s current models, with side surfacing also inspired by the electric SUV, Nissan claims. The result is something that looks a bit like an evolution of the BladeGlider concept Nissan showed in 2013, evolved with some influence from Formula E racing, including the Halo safety device around the cockpit.
Nissan Ariya Single Seater concept
Nissan didn’t discuss technical specifications, but the production Ariya will debut the automaker’s e-4orce (think e-Force) dual-motor all-wheel drive system, with 389 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque in United States spec, and a control system Nissan claims will improve handling without stiffening the ride.
It’s hard to imagine Nissan selling a single-seat race car to customers, but the automaker has teased other electric sports cars in the past decade as potentially production-bound—like the ESFlow from 2013.
Nissan teased several other concepts earlier this week—including a two-seat roadster called the Max-Out—as part of a plan to add 15 all-electric models by 2030. More recently it’s also teased the IMs electric sedan concept. While there is no shortage of Nissan EV concepts, the Ariya is still the only new electric production model confirmed to be on the way. It’s scheduled to start U.S. deliveries in fall 2022 as a 2023 model.
