Exploring The Future Of Electrified Performance, Nissan Presents The Ariya Single Seater Concept

This is a high-performance exploration, development and demonstration project, this is the new Nissan Ariya Single Seater Concept.

Nissan’s divisional general manager of global marketing for brand and engagement, Juan Manuel Hoyos, commented, “Acting as a testbed for future technological evolution, this project can help bring excitement from the road to the race track, and also demonstrate Nissan’s expertise in transferring knowledge and technology from the race track to the road.” 

Presented at the Nissan Futures event, the concept shows how the all-electric Nissan Ariya road-car powertrain could be used in a bespoke single seater racing car chassis.

Hoyos added, “At Nissan, we dare to do what others don’t. With this concept we want to showcase the high-performance potential of the Ariya’s powertrain in a motorsports-inspired package that not only hints at the design and styling of the road-car that inspired it, but also demonstrates a new and efficient EV performance language.”

To paint a picture, design cues from the all-new Nissan Ariya all-electric SUV can be seen across the Ariya Single Seater Concept. 

At the front of the vehicle is the electrified and illuminated ‘V’ motion, familiar from Nissan’s current road car design language. 

Then for the side view, inspiration has been taken from the Ariya’s fluid and efficient surfaces, exaggerated to a maximum in carbon fibre. 

Overall, the Nissan Ariya Single Seater Concept describes a form that, as with the production Ariya, looks like it was shaped by the air itself.

“As we began to shape our Nissan Ambition 2030 long-term vision, we continued to build on our ‘Timeless Japanese Futurism’ design language. We are now drawing inspiration from the Japanese words ‘shun’, meaning to run fast and effortlessly, and ‘sho’, meaning to soar with power and grace. The Ariya Single Seater Concept is the perfect expression of this new language. Leveraging the Ariya’s EV powertrain in a motorsports-inspired package allowed our international team to capture this new sense of speed, technology and artistry,” remarked Nissan’s senior vice president for global design, Alfonso Albaisa.

On another note, Nissan’s participation in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship also played a key role in inspiring the Nissan Ariya Single Seater Concept. 

The brand races in the all-electric world championship to bring the innovation of zero-emission electric vehicles to a global audience, and to be at the cutting edge of EV research and design.

Nissan’s director for global motorsports, Tommaso Volpe, concludes, “Nissan competes in Formula E not only to race on track, but also to support the development of compelling electric vehicles for customers. Our EV programs inform our Formula E program and vice versa, allowing for road-to-track technology transfer as well as track-to-road. The Nissan Ariya Single Seater Concept explores the combination of the all-electric powertrain, dual motors and revolutionary all-wheel drive system of the Ariya with a pure single seat racing chassis. A powerful demonstration of just how thrilling electric vehicles could be.”