Nissan Ariya Nismo brings more power, more style

As expected, Nissan revealed the Ariya Nismo at the Tokyo Auto Salon. And it delivers on pretty much everything we would hope for with a somewhat hotter version of the electric SUV, even if it's not quite as aggressive as some of its competition.

The exterior receives both body and graphics updates. It has a splitter, side skirts and a rear diffuser. The latter of those also incorporates a motorsport-style rear fog light in the middle. The hatch also has a little lip spoiler at the trailing edge of the rear window. A red line wraps around all of the lower body parts, and it's complemented by additional red accents on the mirror caps and a Nismo logo in the middle of the front splitter. A center stripe is available optionally for the hood, too. And at each corner are unique 20-inch wheels that are fitted with 255-mm tires, 20 mm wider than standard Ariya tires, and 10 mm wider than the optional set for the top Platinum + E-4orce trim.

Inside, things look particularly sporty. The entire cabin is black, even the faux wood trim, which continues to have a natural grain finish. A sportier, more sculpted steering wheel is fitted with red stitching and a red 12 o'clock mark. A bright red center section spans the air vents in the dash, and all of the backlit panels from the standard car now glow a menacing red, instead of the soft, cool white color. The seats are covered in faux suede, and they're perforated with red accents. They appear to be more bolstered for sportier driving, too.