The much-hyped works-tuned high-performance SUV

Osaka Auto Messe (OAM) 2024 in February 2024: the highlight of the Nissan booth is undoubtedly the ARIYA NISMO, which made its world premiere at the Tokyo Auto Salon after its existence was suddenly revealed on 10 January via official SNS. We spoke to Mitsunori Morita, chief manager of Nissan’s Global Design Division, who has overall responsibility for the design of the latest NISMO road car, which is due to go on sale in June 2024.

“We have changed our approach from the previous NISMO road car”

The Ariya NISMO is the 11th model/19th NISMO road car in total and, by the unwritten rules of the past, has been given new, exclusive tuning that makes full use of electrification technology, including racing, in everything from power performance, handling, and the four-wheel drive system, making it the pinnacle of the new generation of BEVs. The driving surface has been updated to befit a sports model. So what about the design?　This is the first NISMO road car to be a crossover vehicle, and although it has a slightly different worldview from previous models, it is …….

“Before working on the Ariya, we started with the GT-R and then the Skyline/Fairlady Z. We have made NISMO road cars from the sports line. Sports cars are an extension of motorsports and are easy to make because you just need to specialize in the performance direction. In contrast, the Ariya is a premium EV crossover, so we had a lot of trouble figuring out how we should make it look like NISMO. It was not just styling, but performance as well, and it took us a long time to work out the details.”

One of the key exterior features is the red bodyline, which has become an iconic feature of NISMO road cars. The non-sportscar Ariya has lines in the middle of the front and rear bumpers/finishers to express a different NISMO character.

“Simply put, we changed the meaning (manner) of the lines. The theme is two-sidedness, and the image is of someone who looks elegant/gentlemanly on the outside but is really a hot-blooded person or someone with unexpected qualities. The red line (this is one of the Ariya NISMO’s design keywords, which Nissan calls ‘Alteria (hidden) Magma’) expresses this inner strength that is not usually shown.”

The lines were placed higher than before to create the effect of oozing inner heat. Initially, they considered making it luminous, but in the end, they changed the color from conventional metallic red to a brighter solid red, which contrasts more strongly with the black. The lines themselves were also made thicker to emphasize the presence of the vehicle, to give it more momentum, and to make it appear more dynamic by making them thicker towards the rear.

The five parts that have been changed are the front bumper, rear diffuser, door finishers, front protector, and rear spoiler. The black area is the basic renewal area, but only the front section below the grille has been completely redesigned.

“The logic behind the design of the NISMO road cars, which we work on together with aerodynamic engineers, is the same for all cars. For the front, the basic idea is to divert the wind from the face to the sides. For this reason, the cross-sectional area of the air curtains on the left and right sides is also larger than on standard cars, so that the wind is channeled upwards without escaping. And the canards create a vertical airflow, which, together with the suction effect, reduces body lift.”

The difficulty is that the latest cars have a lot of advanced equipment, with multiple sensors, sonar, etc. installed in the bumper, and if the installation position or angle is changed, the safety design has to be reviewed. This means that the development costs are many times higher, so the NISMO and other modifications to the shape must meet these requirements while also providing good looks and performance, which is a constant struggle.

“Overall, I can say that while respecting the sculptural beauty originally possessed by the Ariya, the black function part adds mechanically optimized shaping for performance. The contrast between the two is expressed in a way that is uniquely NISMO.”

Overall, the front has a large air splitter and the door finishers are 40 mm lower and 35 mm wider laterally than the standard car to generate downforce. The rear is as low to the ground as possible and as long back as possible, based on cutting the wind at a greater distance. The overhangs are also set slightly longer.

All of this is put together in a stable design to visually lower the center of gravity while increasing aerodynamic performance. Therefore, if the red line is placed at the bottom, the taller Ariya would appear taller. The reason for placing it in the middle is partly to reduce this impression.