Nissan on Thursday unveiled a race car concept powered by the same powertrain found in the automaker’s 2023 Ariya electric crossover.
The race car is an open-wheel single seater, and while it hasn’t been developed for any particular racing category, its delta wing shape suggests a link with Formula E’s Gen3 race car set to compete in Season 9 of the electric race series.
Nissan is one of the major automakers still involved in Formula E, via the Nissan E.Dams team. All teams competing in Season 9 of Formula E will receive their common Gen3 chassis next spring.
Nissan Ariya Single Seater concept
In a statement, Nissan said the new concept, dubbed the Ariya Single Seater, showcases how the Ariya crossover’s powertrain could be used in a race car setting. Nissan also said the concept will serve as a testbed for future technological evolution.
Naturally, Nissan picked the most potent of the Ariya’s available powertrains for the concept, in this case the range-topping dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup good for 389 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque. The Ariya will also be offered with a single motor rated at 238 hp.
Nissan also used design elements from the Ariya for the concept. For example, both vehicles have a V-shaped grille flanked by thin light bars. And on the sides of the concept, the smooth, almost fluid-like surfacing has also been borrowed from the Ariya, though here the construction is all carbon fiber.
2023 Nissan Ariya
The Ariya is scheduled to arrive in showrooms next fall. It will initially be offered with a starting price of $47,125, including a $1,175 destination charge. That’s steep but more affordable options are expected later in the life cycle.
The Ariya is just the latest salvo in Nissan’s plan to have a mostly electrified lineup by 2030. The automaker this week announced plans to spend $17.6 billion over the next five years on electrification. The bulk of those funds will go toward developing 23 electrified models across the Nissan and Infiniti brands by 2030, of which 15 will be battery-electric vehicles.
Interestingly, Nissan this week showed off a handful of concepts to preview a possible future electric lineup, and one of those concepts was a roadster. Could these all point to an electric sports car in the works? Time will tell.
