Electric Vehicles is the essence of the day and Nissan displayed their latest concept, a cross over electric vehicle at the 46th Tokyo Motor Show. The car called the Ariya is a concept which looks production ready. The car has been designed with simple lines displaying the reduced complexities of an electric vehicle. Its front grille has been replaced with what Nissan calls a shield. The shield is emblazoned with an lighted Nissan logo.

Nissan has used the latest in lighting technologies providing for extremely narrow LED headlamps and a light bat with blackened lenses at the rear. Though cross-over vehicle, it has a sharply raked c-pillar to give it the looks of a coupe. The car has flat floor inside the cabin, thanks to the electric propulsion. This provides for a spacious cabin akin to a lounge. There are only three physical buttons in the dashboard, which itself is a minimalist design. These are, the start button, a single knob to operate the 12.3-inch display monitor, and the climate controls, which are artfully ingrained into the instrument panel’s genuine-wood lower section. The rest of the controls come to life when the car is energised, these are seamlessly integrated haptic touch controls along the instrument panel. When the car is not in use, they disappear into the surface.

Nissan has provide the car with ProPILOT 2.0 system which uses various sensors to follow a pre-fed route and sticks to the designated lane. This allows for hands off driving till the car reaches a junction when the car sounds necessary warnings and requests the driver to take control of the car.

The Nissan Ariya is powered by two electric motors, one motor driving the front and rear axle each. Thus providing the car with an all wheel drive capability. This layout delivers balanced, predictable power to all four wheels, equal or better than many premium sports cars. Thanks to the high-power, twin-motor, all-wheel control system, the Nissan Ariya offers excellent cornering performance and traction on slippery surfaces such as snow and loose dirt. This performance is achieved without drivers needing to change their driving style, steering input or even pedal position. Nissan has employed knowledge gained from years of vehicle control development including the Nissan GT-R’s ATTESA E-TS torque split system and the Nissan Patrol’s intelligent 4X4 system.

Nissan has provided human-machine interface features like Door to Door Navigation. This allows the driver to set a destination on her smartphone, transfer it to the Ariya and have the vehicle’s navigation system continue offering directions. If the final destination is reached by foot, the system will transfer the remaining route back to the driver’s smartphone. The cars has a virtual assistant, who among other things can help look up information and locate parking, so that the driver can keep their eyes on the road. The cars navigation system also identifies and plots charging stations along the way for convenient charging stops.

Nissan offers the Ariya with Firmware Over The Air (FOTA) technology which provides constant, hassle-free updates for the navigation system, graphic user interface and driving characteristics to ensure the car is running effectively and has the latest versions and features, keeping the driver’s experience fresh and enjoyable.

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