Tag Archives: GM

Buy/Drive/Burn: Economical American Compacts From 1982

Our recent Rare Rides coverage of the Chevrolet Citation made one thing very clear: We need more Citation content. Today’s 1982 Buy/Drive/Burn lineup was suggested by commenter eng_alvarado90, who would like to see all of you struggle. Citation, Aries, Escort, all in their most utilitarian formats. Let’s go.

Chevrolet Citation

The Citation is in its third model year for 1982, and sales have already fallen far from their initial peak of 800,000. The bloom is off this rose, but GM is still on track for six-digit sales this year. Sticking firmly to economy and utility, today’s Citation is a five-door hatchback equipped with the 2.5-liter Iron Duke inline-four and paired to a four-speed manual. Throttle-body injection is new this year and means 90 horses are underfoot. There’s also a new horizontal slats grille.

Dodge Aries K

The Dodge Aries is still new and is in its second model year for 1982. Chrysler started out strong last year with over 300,000 sales, and will likely reach that number again in ’82. Today’s Aries is the four-door wagon, as Chrysler does not offer a hatchback K-car at this level. Underhood is the base 2.2-liter Chrysler inline-four, which uses a two-barrel carb. Eighty-four horses are at the driver’s command, shifted through a four-speed manual. New this year: rear windows roll down on sedans and wagons, replacing the fixed glass.

Ford Escort

Ford’s Escort is also in its second model year for 1982. The American market Escort was supposed to be very similar to the European one for parts sharing purposes. However the respective design teams each headed their own direction, and the two cars share only an engine and transmission. Today’s five-door Escort hatchback is new for ’82, along with a new grille and presence of the familiar Ford Blue Oval. The base 1.6-liter CVH engine gets a high output version this year, which increases power by about 10 horses, to 80. Power is delivered to the front via a four-speed Ford MTX manual.

Economy and cheap driving are available to you, and they’ll probably hold up for at least three years before falling apart. Which gets the Buy?

[Images: GM, Chrysler, Ford]

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These Automakers Now Plan an All-Electric Future

The debate about whether or not automakers will shift to electric vehicles has seemingly changed to when the change will occur.

The age of the internal combustion engine is coming to a close — or so you might think considering the latest headlines.

A growing number of countries and regions have laid out plans to ban gas and diesel engines, Great Britain recently moving its ban up to 2030. California wants to ban internal combustion engine sales by 2035.

While automakers have traditional resisted regulatory requirements, the industry is actually taking the lead, in many cases. At least 10 have laid out plans to fully electrify their product lines. Some, including General Motors, intend to switch to 100% zero-emission vehicles — which can include battery-electric, as well as hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Others plan a mix of BEVs and hybrids.

Here’s a look at where things stand today — though you can expect to see even more news in the next year or two, other manufacturers hinting they may follow.

General Motors

The GMC HUMMER EV is designed to be an off-road beast, with all-new features developed to conquer virtually any obstacle or terrain.

The world’s fifth-largest automaker by sales — demoted one spot after the recent formation of Stellantis — is the largest manufacturer laying out plans to go 100% battery electric. The company has been accelerating plans and now expects to have 30 BEVs in global showrooms by 2025, while banning ICE power entirely a decade later. The rollout is just gaining momentum but the Hong Guang Mini EV GM is building with Chinese partners Wuling and SAIC is now the world’s best-selling BEV. Significantly, the flagship Cadillac brand will be first to go 100% electric by 2030, officials revealed.

Volkswagen

The story here is a complicated one. The German giant clearly is spending more than any competitor on electrification — more than $80 billion to bring out more than 50 BEVs by mid-decade. But its plans vary by brand. The flagship VW marque launched its first long-range all-electric model, the ID.3, in Europe last year, with the ID.4 SUV reaching U.S. showrooms in a matter of weeks. And there are plenty more coming, including the ID.Buzz microbus. But the company has not yet indicated if or when it would give up gas and diesel power with its anchor brand.

Audi

Audi RS e-tron GT - debut high angle

The new Audi RS e-tron GT is just the latest EV coming from the world’s automakers.

VW’s largest luxury division is another marque aggressively migrating to electric propulsion, just last month revealing the new e-tron GT sports car. There’s been no formal plan for eliminating gas or diesel but Audi officials have broadly hinted that could come within the next 10 to 15 years.

Bentley

Meeting future emissions and fuel-economy mandates will be difficult for luxury brands, especially ultra-premium marques known for large, high-performance products like Bentley. In a major move that caught almost everyone off guard, Bentley announced last December that it will offer only plug-based models by 2026, going entirely BEV by 2030.

Nissan

The 2021 Nissan Ariya is about the size of a Rogue SUV – but features the interior space of the bigger Murano.

As part of the broader Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the Japanese marque battles it out for industry dominance for VW and Toyota. It was an early EV pioneer with the original Nissan Leaf. Now, after a decade delay, it is finally moving to electrify more of its line-up, the all-electric Ariya SUV launching for 2022. In January, Nissan said all products in “key markets” will use some form of electric propulsion by the “early 2030s.” This will include not only BEVs like Leaf and Ariya but also vehicles using the new e-Power range-extending hybrid system.

Toyota

This company, proud of its leadership in hybrid technology, has long been skeptical of pure electric propulsion. For now, it is committed to offering hybrid and plug-in versions of all its product lines by around mid-decade. Facing increased competition, as well as regulatory pressures, Toyota is readying a modest number of BEVs but could move fast, officials have hinted, if it sees EVs as inevitable. It has hinted this could happen by 2040. Significantly, it is investing heavily in next-generation solid-state batteries. It also wants to be a leader in hydrogen fuel-cell technology.

Hyundai Motor Group

The Hyundai Ioniq 5

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the company’s new all-electric sub-brand with a new design language.

The automaker is reserving space for internal combustion engines though, even here, it is moving towards hybrids and plug-ins. The Korean carmaker, which includes the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, expects to have 23 all-electric models in global showrooms by 2025. A number of them will be sold through the new, battery-car sub-brand, Ioniq. It soon could announce a move entirely to Zero-Emission Vehicles. But, like Toyota, that would include both BEVs and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

Ford

An early pioneer in electrification, Ford announced last month that it will offer only plug-in hybrids and pure battery-electric vehicles in Europe by mid-2026. It has yet to lay out plans for the U.S., China and other key markets but Ford is ramping up spending on battery programs and will launch some significant products over the next several years, including an all-electric version of the F-150 pickup. It’s off to a good start, the Mustang Mach-E winning honors as North American Car of the Year for 2021, while generating significant sales.

Volvo

Volvo C40 Recharge front

Volvo’s rolled out its second battery-electric model, the C40 Recharge.

The Swedish automaker and its Chinese parent Geely are making hefty investments in electrification. It launched its first long-range BEV, the XC40 Recharge, for 2021, and this month unveiled a second all-electric model, the S40 Recharge. Volvo had been planning on a mix of BEVs and plug-in hybrids but, by the end of the decade it will abandon those PHEVs and only sell BEVs.

Daimler/Mercedes-Benz

The leading global luxury brand is another brand moving aggressively into electrification while not quite ready to lock down a hard date to ban ICE technology. At the moment, that appears likely to happen before 2040. Mercedes already is moving in that direction with the launch of its EQ line-up. That sub-brand will cover a broad spectrum of sedans, SUVs and other body styles with products like the EQB and EQS coming out during the next several years. A significant development came with news that the high-performance AMG arm also will begin electrifying.

Smart

smart EQ fortwo

Smart was the first company to make the switch to an all-electric line-up with its fortwo.

Daimler’s city car brand became the world’s first to formally commit to switching from gas and diesel to all-electric propulsion back in 2018. The move is seen as a logical choice for the sort of buyers targeted by products like the little fortwo. The shift was already underway by the time the German parent decided to pull Smart out of the American market.

Stellantis

The merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France Groupe PSA instantly created the industry’s fourth-largest automaker. It left many questions lingering about what the newly created Stellantis might be planning for electrification. Brands like Peugeot and Citroen were adding BEVs and hybrids and are looking to accelerate the shift. The big uncertainty is on the old FCA side. That said, the Fiat brand is set to have 60% of its offerings either hybrid or fully-electric by the end of this year, and may push even further.

Maserati

Then there’s Maserati. The high-performance arm of the old Fiat Chrysler said last November the new Ghibli Hybrid is just the start of its electrification program. Last November, CEO Davide Grasso declared, “All our line-up will be electrified in the next five years.”

BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse with iX and i4

BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse revealed the new i4 alongside the iX — three months early.

BMW

Another early pioneer, with products like the i3 BEV and i8 plug-in sports car, BMW appeared to be debating strategy for a few years before launching two long-range all-electric models, the new iX and i4. And there are plenty more in the pipeline. But the near to mid-term strategy calls for a mix of hybrids and BEVs, which will generate 50% of BMW’s global sales by 2030, Chairman Oliver Zipse said last week.

Mini

The British-based Mini brand is a different story. Here, parent BMW isn’t wavering. This month it confirmed that Mini will become an all-electric brand by 2030 “in every region of the world.” That’s a fast changeover considering that the very first Mini BEV, the SE, just came to market this past year. Significantly, the next-generation Mini Countryman will be produced both in gas and all-electric versions when it comes to market shortly.

Jaguar Land Rover

The Jaguar I-Pace hastened the brand’s shift in to the “Reimagine” program.

The Jaguar side of the British carmaker got a jump on competitors like BMW and Mercedes with its I-Pace model. A second all-electric SUV is now in the works. And CEO Thierry Bollore last month said that JLR’s “Reimagine” program will see the Jaguar side go 100% BEV by 2025, well ahead of key competitors. Surprisingly, though, the BEV version of the flagship Jaguar XJ sedan has been scrapped. As for the Land Rover side, the company plans to retain a mix of electrified powertrains, though it believes battery-only models will deliver 60% of total sales volumes by 2030.

Plenty of startups

We’ve focused on mainstream U.S., European, Japanese and South Korean brands. Expect to see a number of Chinese marques to lay out all-electric strategies, as well. That will include market leaders like Volvo parent Geely. It also will include a long list of Chinese start-ups. According to analyst Michael Dunne, more than 100 potential EV entrants hope to get licensed by the Beijing government, alongside other recent startups. There are plenty of other EV wannabes in the U.S. and Europe, such as Rivian, Lucid, Bollinger and Lordstown Motors.

Then there’s the EV market’s 800-pound gorilla. Tesla continues to dominate the market, though it has begun losing ground to a few competitors. The Ford Mustang Mach-E took 12 points of market share away from Tesla in the U.S. in recent months. The Wuling microvan is outselling all Tesla models combined.

The real question is whether consumers will back all the investments in electrification. All battery-based models combined still account for barely 6% of global new vehicle sales, BEVs roughly 2%. But industry forecasters see big jumps coming, especially if regulators continue to lay out plans banning internal combustion engines.

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Electrifying! Cadillac Debuts All-New Long-Range Lyriq EV

The new Cadillac Lyriq, the luxury brand’s first EV, made its debut Thursday evening.

It’s become the General Motors corporate mantra, the automaker routinely reminding us that it is on “a path to an all-electric future.” We’ve already got the Chevrolet Bolt, with an extended version coming out next year. There’ll also be two different GMC Hummers: an SUV and a full-size pickup.

All told, GM plans to introduce “20 or more” all-electric products by 2023 and as important as any will be the new Cadillac Lyriq, the luxury brand’s first pure battery-electric vehicle. With Lyriq, Caddy throws down the gauntlet with a direct challenge to competitors including Tesla. More significantly, the electric SUV will determine whether Cadillac is on the right path itself considering brand boss Steve Carlisle has confirmed that 100% of the marque’s line-up will be electric come 2030.

“This is a very big moment for Cadillac and General Motors,” said Carlisle, recently given the additional role of president of North American operation. Lyriq, he added during a media backgrounder this week, “really is a cornerstone upon which we’re going to build the future.”

(Cadillac pulls plug on April debut of Lyriq EV due to coronavirus concerns.)

After months of hints and one delay, Cadillac finally lifted the covers on the Lyriq.

Caddy has been dropping more and more hints about the electric SUV in recent months. It was originally scheduled for a spring unveiling but the timetable got tossed due to the coronavirus. Instead, GM’s premier brand had to settle for today’s digital debut. Even so, with the production model still the better part of a year away – for the Chinese market, with the U.S. version not rolling into dealerships until the 2022 model-year – Cadillac is leaving much unsaid for now.

With the formal debut of the Cadillac Lyriq, here are some basics that we do know:

  • What we see today is officially described as a “concept,” but there will be relatively few changes with the production version;
  • The midsize Lyriq will ride on an all-new BEV3 architecture flexible enough to handle a wide range of different products;
  • Its skateboard platform will mount battery pack and motors below the load floor, and it will have the capability of offering different pack sizes and motor layouts;
  • Available only in two-row form, that approach frees up space for the interior that otherwise would have been used for a gas engine;
  • Two versions will be offered initially, a base model and a high-performance version.

The new Lyriq is part of GM’s larger plan to bring out nearly two dozen EVs in the next few years.

Longer-term, don’t be surprised to see additional variants, confided Marty Hogan, Lyriq’s chief engineer. Cadillac “will evaluate the need,” among other things, for a Lyriq equivalent of the V-Series packages now offered on conventional, gas-powered Caddy models such as the CT4-V. “I see V-variants across the range as time goes on,” echoed brand chief Carlisle.

The good news is that the BEV3 architecture is extremely flexible, capable of being used for front- rear- or all-wheel-drive layouts. The base model will be RWD, the performance model going AWD, with motors on both front and rear axles, though precisely how many motors is uncertain.

Also unknown is how much power the base and performance models will make. We know that the GMC Hummer will be offered with a top-line, AWD package punching out a tire-spinning 1,000 horsepower. That level could be reserved for a future Lyriq V-Series or even Blackwing model. Something more in the 400+ range appears likely for the Performance version. Even then, GM insiders are hinting at something on the order of 4 seconds 0-60. And, thanks to the instant-on torque of electric motors, the SUV’s launch feel should be intense.

The electric SUV’s hallmark feature will be this gently curved, 33-inch LED display running virtually the full width of the instrument panel.

When the automaker’s second-generation EV technology, used in the Chevy Bolt, came out, its initial 238-mile range was seen as significant. Today, that’s barely enough, Tesla recently launching a long-range Model S delivering 400 miles per charge.

At the upper end, expect to see Lyriq delver at least 300 miles and, if anything, “We’re working to get all of our powertrain combinations north of 300 miles range,” said Hogan.

Lyriq will use the new Ultium batteries GM plans to produce at a new plant in Ohio operated as part of a joint venture with Korea’s LG Chem. Unlike Tesla’s cylindrical batteries, these are prismatic – or pouch-style – which GM claims offers more flexibility in their layout, allowing more customization depending upon the vehicle.

In some applications, GM will be able to load in as many as 200 kilowatt-hours of batteries – that will be needed to give the Hummer its promised 400-mile range and towing capacity. In Lyriq, expect something around 100 kWh or slightly more, depending on the range option.

(GM outlines EV plan to cover every brand, product segment and price range.)

Recent Cadillac models have softened the distinctive Art & Science design language, Lyriq returns to a more aggressive and distinctive styling language.

The lithium-ion cells will be able to charge using second-generation 140 kilowatt quick chargers at 400V DC. That should mean an 80% charge-up at under an hour, though that’s another detail GM will reveal later.

There had been some speculation Lyriq would come with a more advanced, 800V system capable of utilizing a 350 kW charger, much like the Porsche Taycan. That more expensive system is in the works for future BEVs and, based on what GM President Mark Reuss told TheDetroitBureau.com last March, could eventually yield a 90% charge in under 10 minutes.

In terms of home charging, Lyriq will be capable of handling as much as a 19 kilowatt Level-2 240-volt system, one of the fastest home-charging rates now available.

(GM launches partnership with EVgo to rapidly increase availability of public chargers.)

In keeping with the high-tech nature of the Lyriq, one of the electric SUV’s hallmark features will be a gently curved, 33-inch LED display running virtually the full width of the instrument panel.The system will operate the latest version of the Cadillac Cue infotainment system.

The Lyriq interior offers plenty of simple controls for its electric powertrain.

Among other high-tech features, there will be a multi-plane head-up display that not only shows familiar information, such as speed, turn signals and warnings, but appears to project navigation information onto the road ahead. An arrow will point directly at the corner where you should turn, for example, if you’re using navigation. Meanwhile, the Lyriq will be offered with the updated Super Cruise semi-autonomous system, allowing hands-free operation on 200,000 miles of U.S. roads and adding the new ability to change lanes simply by tapping the turn signal.

The entire interior will adopt a more high-tech look and feel. And for those who complain that today’s Caddy cabins are elegant yet boring, the overall design is clearly one of the most striking and distinctive the brand has ever come up with.

EVs tend to be shockingly quiet. Caddy aims to eliminate the more unusual sounds that can enter the cabin, including wind and tire noises, using an active cancellation system relying on accelerometers, as well as microphones. On the flip side, it will debut with a 19-speaker AKG Studio audio system.The exterior follows the design approach of the interior. Where the latest-generation Cadillac models have softened the distinctive Art & Science design language that helped put the brand back on the map, Lyriq returns to a more aggressive and distinctive styling language. It revives the Caddy theme vertical lighting, boxing in a distinctive, slat-like grille that alternates what design chief Andrew Smith describes as “floating metal bars” between “crystal-like” slats. The grille, as well as the familiar Cadillac grille, both light up.

The Cadillac Lyriq will be able to use next-gen 150 kW quick chargers, GM partnering with EVgo to expand their availability in the U.S.

A coupe-like roofline flows into a crisply formed rear end with a relatively small back glass and mostly vertical lighting.

With the launch of Lyriq, Cadillac takes dead aim at competitors such as Jaguar, Audi, BMW and, of course, Tesla. It remains to be seen where the new SUV will be priced, though company officials hinted during the backgrounder that we should see it start below $75,000. Audi’s e-tron starts at $77,400 and has been faulted for a range of just over 200 miles.

Add up all the competitors and they’re barely matching what Tesla generates in sales. So, taking on the 800-pound gorilla of the EV market will be a challenge for Cadillac, especially when you consider how long it is taking to get Lyriq into showrooms.

“This is an important launch for Cadillac. They clearly need to be in the electric vehicle market,” said Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst with Navigant Research. “My main concern is that it seem like it’s going to be late,” he added, noting most luxury competitors will already be competing in the BEV space, many by then with multiple products.

(GM confirms Hummer debut “this fall.”)

On the plus side, Navigant believes BEVs will still only account for about 3.5 to 4% of the automotive  market at that point so, if Lyriq proves as good a product as promised, it could ride the wave as the EV revolution takes hold.

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First Look: 2021 Nissan Ariya

The 2021 Nissan Ariya is about the size of a Rogue SUV – but features the interior space of the bigger Murano.

Nissan is singing a new tune. With the arrival of the 2021 Ariya, Japan’s second-largest carmaker hopes to rebuild its once-lofty position as an innovator in the emerging market for battery-electric vehicles.

The automaker was, in fact, the first to mass market a BEV, but a decade after the launch of the original Leaf model, Nissan has not only been eclipsed by Tesla, but is being challenged by more conventional competitors, such as Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors,  each rolling out waves of new long-range battery-cars.

The 2021 Nissan Ariya is the long-overdue battery-SUV meant to keep Nissan in the game. It’s a ground-up offering, not just a redesigned Leaf, with a brand-new platform and electric drive system that is more powerful and able to deliver longer range. Ariya also debuts Nissan’s first hands-free driving system.

(A week with the 2020 Nissan Leaf SL Plus.)

The Nissan Ariya will be offered in either front- or all-wheel-drive configurations.

The new model “is the spearhead, showing our vision of the future,” said Ivan Espinosa, the carmaker’s senior vice president of global product planning, during a media roundtable ahead of the battery car’s Wednesday debut. “Ariya is not just an EV,” he emphasized. “It is showing the technical prowess of Nissan…what Nissan stands for.”

Pronounced like the song an opera diva sings, a concept version of the Ariya made its first appearance at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show last autumn, followed by a U.S. debut at January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Though there were some design details unique to exotic concepts, like the oversized wheels, the show car will go into production with only minor changes.

The 2021 Ariya rides on a flexible new architecture, Espinosa explained during the online meeting. It eventually will be used for a variety of battery-cars to be produced not only by Nissan but also by its two alliance partners, Japan’s Mitsubishi and France’s Renault.

(Nissan lifts the covers on the next-gen Rogue.)

Features like the grille-less nose help reduce aero drag.

“The beauty of this platform is it’s modular (which) allows us to accommodate different possibilities,” he said, adding that the three partners have “a lot of questions about what new areas of the market we can explore.”

As with key competitors like Tesla, Ford, GM and VW, the platform positions its batteries, motors and other key components below the load floor. That reduces the size of the traditional engine compartment, allowing significantly more freedom, said Nissan’s global styling chief Alfonso Albaisa. And the development team found other breakthrough strategies. Rather than mounting the climate control, or HVAC, system within the instrument panel, it was moved into the modest space left where an engine would normal go, freeing up more space for the passenger compartment.

“You get inside and you’re really shocked,” suggested Albaisa, pointing out that the exterior footprint of the Nissan Ariya is about as big as the subcompact Rogue SUV, but the cabin has the roominess of the much larger Murano.

(Nissan among automakers taking big sales hit in Q2.))

The interior borrows heavily from the Ariya concept.

From an exterior design perspective, the Ariya is far less geeky than the Leaf which was designed during an era when green machines were expected to look like something from a sci-fi flick. That said, there are some obvious cues that tell you it’s a BEV, starting with absence of a conventional grille – electric vehicles needing far less disruptive airflow under the hood. Slit headlamps each feature four distinct LED bulbs. From the side, the crossover adapts a curvaceous, coupe-like shape, with plenty of subtle details designed to cheat the range-stealing wind – including twin rear spoilers.

Inside, Albaisa’s team adopted a minimalist approach, with a floating, horizontally oriented instrument panel featuring side-by-side video screens, each measuring 12.3 inches. One of the neat tricks is the ability to swipe across the infotainment display and move elements to the primary gauge display. The lack of a center tunnel creates a flat floor that makes it possible to sit five inside with reasonable comfort.

The new modular architecture is, fundamentally, front-wheel-drive, though buyers also will have the option of ordering an all-wheel-drive, twin-motor package. Nissan started all but from scratch, developing a new electric drive system it has dubbed e-4ORCE. The system has been described as the “spiritual offspring” of the automaker’s GT-R sports car, and that underscores a fundamental shift in thinking. No longer does Nissan believe BEV buyers will sacrifice that fun-to-drive quality just to go green.

Ariya will offer a standard battery or a 300-mile option.

The front-drive system delivers 160 kilowatts, or about 214 horsepower, and 221 pound-feet of torque. The twin-motor AWD system bumps that up to 290 kW, or 389 hp, and 443 lb-ft. The e-4ORCE system can direct power to individual wheels, using torque to assist driver input, among other things, when tracking through a corner.

That also pays off when using the next-generation ProPilot Assist 2.0, Nissan’s semi-autonomous driving system. The original version could help center the vehicle in its lane, among other things, but required drivers to keep hands on the wheel at all times. The new system, Nissan explained, allows “attentive drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel under certain conditions.”

Specific details have yet to be released but it appears to follow the format of GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s new version of CoPilot 360, operating on limited-access roads mapped in high-resolution. A monitoring system makes sure a driver remains alert and ready to take control in an emergency.

In terms of batteries, Nissan has continued tinkering with the chemistry of its lithium-ion cells and has both cut their cost and increased their energy density, storing more power in less space. The base 2021 Ariya stores 63 kilowatt-hours. That’s within a kWh of the current, longest-range version of the gen-2 Nissan Leaf Plus. The Ariya offers an extended-range 87 kWh battery expected to get around 300 miles per charge, according to the EPA.

Ariya’s 2nd row folds to create a flat load floor.

As for charging, Nissan officials weren’t ready to offer details beyond noting Ariya can handle up to 137 kilowatts of power, a big jump up from the roughly 50 kW limit for Leaf. That would suggest an 80% recharge for the smaller pack in perhaps a bit over an hour at a CCS charger.

And that signals another big shift by the automaker which had been the only key player in the U.S. market committed to the older, slower CHAdeMO system. Nissan’s policy “is to have happy customers,” said Espinosa,” and with more – and faster — CCS chargers now available, the switch was overdue, according to EV analysts.

As for pricing, the base version of the 2021 Nissan Ariya will start at $40,000, said Espinosa. It is set to go on sale in Japan in the coming weeks, with U.S. dealers beginning deliveries “later in 2021.”

For the first half of the past decade, Nissan dominated EV sales charts. It has lost its lead to Tesla and is facing plenty of other competition going forward. Whether it can come close to being a significant player with Ariya is far from certain. But Nissan officials are betting that the new BEV has enough going for it to make Ariya a serious contender.

(Ford’s Bronco is back…and it’s now part of a new family of SUVs.)

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}div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-description, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost p { font-size: 18px !important; }div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-note { font-size: 14px !important; }@media screen and (max-width: 768px) { div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-headline, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost h2, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost h1 { font-size: 30px !important; } div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-description, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost p { font-size: 18px !important; } div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-note { font-size: 14px !important; } }@media screen and (max-width: 480px) { div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-headline, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost h2, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost h1 { font-size: 25px !important; } div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-description, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost p { font-size: 16px !important; } div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-note, div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-note * { font-size: 12px !important; } }div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-container { margin: 0 10px 2px; } div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-label { font-size: 16px; margin: 5px 0 2px; } div#gJSomKNtPm input.mo-mailchimp-interest-choice { line-height: normal; border: 0; margin: 0 5px; } div#gJSomKNtPm span.mo-mailchimp-choice-label { vertical-align: middle; font-size: 14px; } div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-choice-container { margin: 5px 0; }div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-label { display:inline-block!important; } div#gJSomKNtPm span.mo-mailchimp-choice-label { vertical-align:baseline!important; } div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-container { padding:18px 0 6px 0; } div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-choice-label { font-size:16px!important; }

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