What's the difference?
Nissan was one of the first to launch a mainstream electric vehicle (EV) in Australia with the cute Leaf hatchback back in 2010.
While two generations of the Leaf have come and gone, Nissan still hasn’t launched another EV offering in Australia. That’s now finally changed.
The Japanese carmaker has just launched the Ariya mid-size electric SUV in Australia roughly five years after it was first revealed. It’s been available in other markets since 2022.
The EV market has gained momentum in Australia and there are a growing number of heavy-hitting rivals out there now for the Ariya to go up against.
Is it too little, too late for Nissan? Read along to find out.
Electrified utes are growing in popularity in Australia and carmakers have been paying attention.
While the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute is by far the best-selling as it stands, there hasn’t really been any electric ute to go up against the poorly received LDV eT60, until now.
South Korea’s KGM (formerly known as SsangYong) has just launched the Musso EV, which is a purely electric dual-cab ute. It’s unrelated to the existing, turbo-diesel Musso and is more closely related to the current car-based Actyon and Torres SUVs.
Read along to see how this ute stacks up against its growing set of competitors.
I can see how the Nissan Ariya would have changed the game if it launched in Australia back in 2022.
While it is a solid car that’s quiet, comfort-oriented and tech-heavy, there’s now little separating it from the competition apart from the fact it has a Nissan badge and a cracking aftersales package. This is disappointing as we’ve waited a long time for this car to arrive.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accomodation meals provided.
Despite having the Musso name, this electric ute is a completely different beast which is much more lifestyle-oriented than the older and unrelated turbo-diesel Musso workhorse.
There really isn’t much competition out there right now in the electric ute space but this makes a compelling case, especially for those looking in the fleet space. It has an appealing price, adequate range, SUV-like comfort and decent payload capacity.