The Japanese automaker originally planned to release its first 100% electric vehicle to consumers worldwide this year.
Harold Cunningham/Getty Images
From Agence France-Presse
Japanese carmaker Nissan said Friday it will delay the planned summer launch of its flagship new electric Ariya model to this winter over the global chip shortage plaguing automakers.
Announced in July 2020, the new 100% electric model was initially supposed to go on sale in Japan from mid-2021, before arriving in Europe, North America, and China by the end of the year.
But in a press release Friday, Nissan said customers in Japan could now order the limited-edition B6 model for “this winter,” with no set date for those in other markets.
A Nissan spokeswoman confirmed that the semiconductor shortage affecting carmakers around the world was hampering the rollout.
“We have been facing various industry challenges, including semiconductor shortage, and our priority is to ensure that we deliver the highly advanced all-new model… to customers with the highest level of quality and care,” she told AFP.
“And to make sure that those things are done, we have delayed the sales in our area.”
The model is particularly important for Nissan, which sees it as key to opening a “new chapter” for the firm, according to its director general Makoto Uchida.
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