Nissan brought an electric SUV concept to Shanghai that is aptly called Arizon. The concept is the brainchild of Nissan’s Chinese team and according to the company, it reflects the multitude of drivers’ needs in this demanding market. The car previews a lot of clever technology and solutions that we will at some point see in a road-going cars, but Arizon will remain just a concept vehicle.
The tough-looking SUV sits on Nissan’s CMF-EV platform that we know from Nissan Ariya and Renault Megane E-Tech. Since the Arizon is just a concept vehicle, the company did not reveal any technical specifications but we can safely presume that the car is similar in size to its two technological siblings.
We can find a lot of interesting influences in the Arizon’s design – the roof rails hark back to the original Nissan X-Trail, the rear hatch with the vertical window and width-spanning tail light looks just like the one from Renault Vel Satis – if you can remember that one. The interior, with its suicide doors, reminds us of the Renault Scenic Vision concept car – overall, not a bad set of influences but we would love Nissan’s engineers to think a little bit more out of the box.
Apart from the auto-dimming glass roof and lounge seats and the compulsory yoke steering, the Nissan Arizon brings a lot of clever tech to the market. Eporo is the new virtual assistant and it is said to be acting like a human, it can provide its answers with references to time, weather, and any other data it can pull from the internet. It feels like ChatGPT but fully connected and in charge of your car.
The interior lighting can recognize and respond to individual passengers, it can adjust on the fly and use different modes. The large screen up front dishes out all the infotainment and together with the ambient lighting and premium sound system can create unique experiences.
Nissan Arizon is just a preview of what the company is looking into when it comes to the Chinese EV market. It is a telling sign, when established companies bring prototypes to China’s biggest car show, and local companies bring new vehicles that are about to go on sale.
The truth is – the Chinese EV market exploded and big automakers were caught with a hand in a cookie jar. With the new emissions regulations going live in China this summer, many foreign automakers have no vehicles to sell in the country. Nissan, and others, are trying desperately to hang on to their dwindling market share and for the company’s sake, let’s hope the futuristic concept cars are enough to keep the customers interested.
