The Nissan Ariya Single Seater Concept is a fast, ferocious, no-compromise race car that has a critical mission to complete. This electric car does not have to defeat rivals on the race track, though. It is merely a concept. Neither must it evolve into a production model you might purchase. Its purpose is to emphasise that electric cars can be fast and fun. It must convince more motorists to abandon internal combustion cars and swap to electric.
Nissan makes its point
The Nissan Ariya Single Seater Concept has a simple way to make such points. It borrows key components from a new, practical, sports-utility vehicle you can buy: the Ariya. It shares its powertrain, for starters. In its most potent form, this powertrain has 394PS and propels the sports-utility vehicle to 62mph in 5.2 seconds. The concept also inherits its sibling’s all-wheel drive system that optimises traction and inspires confidence on the road.
Nissan’s message is clear, then. ‘Our electric powertrain is fast enough, potent enough, and robust enough for a futuristic race car’, it hints. On this basis, ‘thank your lucky stars that the powertrain is also fitted to a practical sports-utility vehicle that can get you to work, take your children to school, and carry plenty of cargo’. In other words, ‘buy your electric car from us’.
Further parallels
The Nissan Ariya Single Seater Concept and the sports-utility vehicle have more in common than their mechanical components. Whereas the styling is totally different, they share a vibrant bronze and black colour scheme that demands attention. Both also have an illuminated ‘V motion’ symbol at the front. Nissan Senior Vice President for Global Design, Juan Manuel Hoyos, summarised why there are many parallels between such radically different vehicles.
‘With this concept, we want to showcase the high-performance potential of the Ariya’s powertrain in a motorsport inspired package’, he confirmed. ‘It not only hints at the design and styling of the road car that inspired it, it also demonstrates a new and efficient electric vehicle performance language’. He added:
‘Acting as a test bed for future technological evolution, this project can help bring excitement from the road to the race track. It can also demonstrate Nissan’s expertise in transferring knowledge and technology from the track to the road’, he concluded.