Nissan Canada will start taking reservations Thursday for both its new electric crossover and the latest generation of its Z sports car as the brand positions itself for the mass market EV era.
The company pulled back curtain on the 2023 Ariya and 2023 Z at a media event at its Nissan Studio in Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall Feb. 2. Both models are scheduled to arrive in Canada this year.
The Ariya, the brand’s second entirely electric vehicle, follows in the long shadow of the pioneering Nissan Leaf, which first hit the market over a decade ago and has sold more than half a million worldwide.
Steve Milette, president of Nissan Canada, said the brand anticipates strong sales with the new crossover aimed at attracting both EV and luxury buyers between its performance, look and tech offering.
“It’s going to be a mass market vehicle for us. There’s going to be good volume in Canada,” he told Automotive News Canada.
Two battery options are available on the crossover, as well as either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Each choice influences estimated range, which runs between 328 and 482 kilometres.
Pricing has not been released, but customers can reserve a model by placing a $1,000 refundable deposit starting Feb. 3. Quantities are limited, Nissan said.
The front-wheel drive version of the Ariya is slated to arrive in Canada this fall, ahead of the all-wheel-drive variant the company has booked for “late fall” 2022.
Based on a dedicated EV platform, the 2023 Ariya is also the first in a new line of planned EVs Nissan expects to gain market share through the 2020s.
With the crossover leading the way, Milette said the company’s EVs sales will roughly keep pace with the “glide path” set out by federal government EV targets. Ottawa is aiming for 50 per cent of all new light-duty vehicle sales to be zero-emissions by 2030, and new sales of gas and diesel models to have dropped to zero by 2035.
While uptake may be fastest in provinces with EV rebates, such as Quebec and B.C., Milette anticipates steady Ariya sales coast to coast.
“I do think just by the pure EV-readiness of Quebec and British Columbia, as an example, there is going to be strong demand in those markets, but to be honest with you, there is very strong demand right across the country, even in the non-traditional EV markets.”
With Ariya a part of the brand’s future trajectory, the 2023 Z traces its roots back more than 50 years to the Datsun era.
The seventh-generation coupe is equipped with a 400-horsepower 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo engine and either a six-speed manual transmission or nine-speed automatic transmission.
Scott Pak, senior manager of product planning at Nissan Canada, said the latest Z offers a range of new performance and technological tweaks, but will remain accessible to the wider market.
