Nissan CEO says Ariya 'offers an amazing driving experience'

摘要

TOKYO - Nissan's next-generation electric vehicle, the long-awaited Ariya crossover, will get the company's latest automated driving system and all-electric powertrain and drive like a dream. That's the promise from CEO Makoto Uchida, who told Nissan shareholders last week that the production-version Ariya will make its global debut on July 15 and soon go on sale in Japan. The upcoming EV crossover won't be just a green-car environment play, Uchida said. The new nameplate also "offers an amazing driving experience and excitement," he said. The Ariya is Nissan Motor Co.'s first EV entry in the critical crossover segment and a key to renewing Nissan's global lineup and rebooting the brand's ho-hum image. Uchida said it will get Nissan's latest ProPilot 2.0 hands-off automated driving system and a new all-electric powertrain. It will go on sale first in Japan, then overseas markets, he added. Nissan has said the EV crossover will eventually be available in the U.S., Europe and China. The five-seat electric crossover will have a 300-mile battery range and go from 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds, according to U.S. dealers briefed on the product last summer.