The new Nissan Ariya looks oddly familiar

Nissan will be previewing a new look for its range-topping Ariya at the upcoming Japan Mobility Show, but it’s a look that will be familiar to anyone who’s seen a new Nissan Leaf.

As our pictures show, the two cars are almost identical in their looks, with the bigger Nissan Ariya taking inspiration from the new Leaf’s front-end looks, losing its large back grille for a body-coloured panel, just like the Leaf.

Only marginal differences mark them apart, with the Leaf getting a second black strip above the front bumper and a slightly different LED light treatment, even though the shape of the front lights in the two cars is almost identical. Both cars get illuminated Nissan badges on their noses, too.

There’s no word yet on any other changes to the Ariya, although the smaller, cheaper Leaf now outpunches the bigger car on range. As a result, we wouldn’t be surprised if Nissan tweaked the Ariya’s 63 and 87kWh battery options, with the latter giving a maximum claimed range of 330 miles, falling some way short of the Leaf’s 386-mile claim.

An upgrade to the Ariya’s infotainment is also expected with a Google-powered system likely to find its way into the car, as in the Leaf, Micra and Qashqai.

The new Ariya will be unveiled later this month in Tokyo and is expected to find its way into UK showrooms some time next year.