Arizon Concept Previews Nissan’s Angular EV Lineup

• Nissan Arizon electric sport/utility concept revealed at Shanghai auto show, giving the EV world a preview of Nissan's electrification strategy and interior tech.

• The electric SUV uses the CMF EV platform that also underpins the Ariya, which has followed the Leaf in the automaker's EV lineup in this decade.

• Nissan's concept vehicle features yoke steering and a voice-activated assistant dubbed Eporo that can respond to travel-related questions.

Nissan used the Shanghai auto show to take the wraps off its latest EV concept, with the Arizon previewing a midsize sport/utility that could point the way to Nissan's next production EV. Based on the CMF EV platform, the sport utility serves up a roster of trendy concept car features: angular bodywork, wingtip cameras instead of mirrors, no visible door handles, and suicide doors.

The interior relies on a parade of other recent concept car elements: ambient lighting, yoke steering, and an infotainment screen stretching across most of the dash. The Arizon concept adds a few other crowd pleasers, including an interactive lighting system that recognizes passengers and adapts the lighting to their preferences, offering four modes dubbed leisure, sleep, relax, and surprise.

One other "passenger" is inside as well—a personal voice-activated assistant called Eporo that can respond to a number of travel-related questions.

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the exterior design are the intricate headlights and taillights, arranged in an illuminated mesh pattern that can perform miniature light shows. It's something we'd love to see in a production car, even though we know by now that regulatory agencies tend to frown on anything new when it comes to exterior lighting, especially if Europe has already allowed it.

The CMF EV platform, which stands for Common Module Family, currently underpins the Nissan Ariya, Leaf, and the Renault Megane E-Tech, allowing for single- and dual-motor layouts, as well as a choice of batteries.

Being a concept car, the issue of real-world range is perhaps moot, but it's worth noting that in the long-range Ariya it could offer up to 304 miles in the EPA test cycle. The Arizon's WLTP range, which should be mentioned later at the Shanghai show, should be a bit more optimistic.

But for now the Arizon concept perhaps raises more questions than it answers.

For example: Was the name Arizon chosen because Talbot might still hold the trademark for the name Arizona? Also, just when could US shoppers actually buy an electric EV from Nissan larger and more off-road capable than the Ariya?

Nissan explained why we are we seeing this concept in Shanghai, and not in New York just a couple of weeks ago.

"China is one of the most technologically sophisticated markets in the world," said Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta. "Market and customer needs are rapidly changing, making China a global driver of electrification as well as a leader in connected car services. There is a need for increased electrification and advanced sustainability in the market, and we are working hard to meet it."

If the Arizon or something vaguely similar advances to production—an event that seems assured given Nissan's plan to field 19 new EVs by 2030—it would be positioned above the Ariya in the lineup, offering a more off-road friendly experience to buyers.

The main question that remains is whether something like it will be Nissan's next EV to be launched stateside, given the market's appetite for electric SUVs and crossovers at the moment. The signs seem to point in that direction.

Should Nissan's next EV be an SUV of approximately this size, or should it address a different segment, such as that of a midsize sedan? Let us know what you think.