Nissan Ariya EV Spotted Again In Malaysia – When Will ETCM Launch It?

Image source: WhatsApp.

The Nissan Ariya electric crossover SUV has been spotted once again in Malaysia, this time right in the heart of the Kuala Lumpur city centre itself. These images shared to us through WhatsApp by a reliable source were likely taken earlier today and it shows plenty of telling signs.

For starters, the Ariya our source spotted entering the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur off Jalan Pinang seems to be identical to the unit initially spotted back in August last year on a flatbed transporter – it’s dressed in the model’s signature two-tone Copper Pearl/Black Diamond Pearl scheme.

Image source: WhatsApp.

Furthermore, it now bears valid registration and license plates, the latter being a rather familiar scheme that’s widely used internally by local Nissan assemblers and distributors Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM). This in turn confirms that the unit spotted was imported officially, meaning it’s no recond or ‘grey’ unit.

The fact that this Ariya now roams our roads openly with a valid registration also indicates that ETCM has already completed the initial Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) process for the Ariya, perhaps signalling that it is now one step closer towards an official launch too, but this might not be the case.

Image source: WhatsApp.

CariCarz.com has reached out to ETCM to enquire about their plans to launch the Ariya locally. Our insider source has confirmed that ETCM does have intentions to introduce the model to Malaysians, but the same source also confirmed that its launch will not happen anytime this year.

According to our source once more, the delay stems from the fact that its principals (Nissan Motor Co.) hasn’t provided any allocations to ETCM for the Ariya yet. Overwhelming demand for the model faced by Nissan Motor Co. globally is the reason behind this.

Based on that, we reckon the Ariya will only see itself officially launched in Malaysia sometime next year. Until then, if you wished to adopt zero-emissions mobility with the Nissan brand, your only choice right now is the recently face-lifted Nissan Leaf priced from RM168,888.

To refresh your memory, Nissan first debuted the Ariya in concept form during the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show before showing the final production version in July 2020. Initial market entry was slated for 2021, but the pandemic and global chip shortage saw Nissan delay this to 2022 instead.

Standing as Nissan’s first battery electric vehicle (BEV) crossover SUV offering, the Ariya underpins Nissan’s new CMF-EV platform. It comes primed with either a 65 kWh or 90 kWh lithium ion battery capacities that accepts both regular AC and rapid DC charging inputs, the latter up to 130 kW.

Said battery juices either a single- or dual-motor setup, offering anywhere between 360 KM to 400 KM of range. In its most potent ‘AWD Performance’ form, the Ariya boasts 389 HP (290 kW) and 600 NM, thus granting 0-100 KM/H in just 5.1 seconds and a higher limited V-max of 200 KM/H.

Key tech primed on board include Nissan’s latest and advanced ProPILOT 2.0 system that allows hands-free driving under certain conditions, as well as the ability to seamlessly sync or integrate with most mobile devices and wearables.