The exponential rise of the electric car has coincided with the revival of classic model names, as manufacturers bid to win over new buyers – and re-engage with those who owned their petrol equivalents a few decades ago.
Case in point: the Renault 5 has been reborn as a small electric supermini and the Ford Capri has morphed into a coupé-styled electric SUV.
Nissan is hoping it can capture the attention of enthusiast followers with its revival of the Nismo badge that last appeared (in the UK, at least) on the back of the Juke compact crossover and 370Z sports car. It has been fitted to the Japanese brand’s electric SUV to create the dual-motor, 429bhp Nissan Ariya Nismo.
Don’t assume that this is a hot electric SUV designed to do battle with the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N or Kia EV6 GT, though. Its 129bhp power hike over the standard Ariya e-4orce, Nismo badges, red accents and bespoke alloy wheel design might suggest so, but Nissan itself says it doesn't see the hot Korean SUVs as rivals and has instead positioned it to go up against the likes of the Volkswagen ID 5 GTX and Cupra Tavascan.
