Nissan previously confirmed that it would hand its electric vehicles over to its high-performance division, Nismo. Now, we’re getting our first look at what the engineers have been working at.
Our first spy photos of the upcoming Nissan Ariya Nismo have arrived, and although it looks a little tall and ungainly on the track, we can already see some of the ways in which it will differentiate itself from the standard model.
Caught running at the Nurburgring, the model actually has quite a few performance additions, starting with the rear wing. In addition to the rooftop spoiler that can be found on the standard model, Nismo has added a rear wing just over the taillights that will presumably improve handling in high-speed corners.
Read: Nissan Nismo CEO Confirms Standalone Hybrid Sports Car And Performance EVs
Lower down, the rear bumper and the side skirt leading up to it have also received new creases. At the front, a new bumper adds a lower lip that is likely to help keep the Ariya glued to the road when the going gets twisty.
In addition, the front air intake also appears to be larger, probably to help cool the batteries and other drivetrain components when they’re working hard. The side intakes at either end of the grille appear to be shorter and incorporate what might be a new sensor. Finally, the wheels are wrapped in sticky Michelin Pilot Sport tires.
Sporting a remarkably small amount of camouflage, the overall effect of this test vehicle’s modifications make it look rather sporty and are welcome additions to the already good-looking Ariya. Caught benchmarking the Kia EV6, that may hint at what Nismo is looking at in terms of performance.
While Nissan has made no official announcements about power for the Ariya Nismo, the regular Ariya currently tops out at 389 hp (290 kW / 394 PS) and 442 lb-ft (599 Nm) of torque in the U.S. It is not yet clear when Nissan plans to unveil the new, performance-focused model.
