Nissan's newest electric car, the Ariya, has landed in Europe. The Japanese manufacturer sent "a few" early production units of the crossover ahead of the market launch in 2021.

According to Nissan, those first Ariya will be used "to increase the excitement and interest of customers in the region." Some will be presented as shows cars, some are destined for testing purposes at Nissan grounds.

Helen Perry, Chief Marketing Manager of Electric Passenger Cars, Nissan Europe said:

"It is with great pleasure we see the Ariya prototypes arriving in Europe. These versions will be used as show cars and some are also destined for testing purposes at Nissan grounds,".

"We can see how beautiful this car looks and we really can't wait to share more details in the upcoming months"

Nissan Ariya unboxing in Europe
Nissan Ariya unboxing in Europe

In Europe, there will be a total of five versions of the car. Sales should start in the second half of 2021, which means there are still more than eight months to go.

At that point, the Nissan Ariya will have to stand against multiple other new EVs of a similar type, starting with the Volkswagen ID.4.

Volkswagen ID.4, official pictures
Volkswagen ID.4
2021 Nissan Ariya
Nissan Ariya

The Ariya is based on that all-new CMF-EV platform (developed for the entire Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance), which will be used also in the upcoming all-electric Renault Megane.

Nissan Ariya unboxing in Europe