Nissan pulls 2026 Ariya electric SUV from US – Business News
Nissan is pulling its Ariya electric SUV from the US lineup for the 2026 model 12 months, a transfer that industry observers say was pushed over the sting by President Donald Trump’s 15% tariff on Japanese-built electric autos.
The Japanese automaker instructed sellers it might halt Ariya imports subsequent 12 months, explaining in a memo that the choice would “reallocate resources and optimize its EV portfolio as the automotive landscape continues to evolve.”
In a separate assertion, Nissan mentioned it’s “pausing production of the MY26 Ariya for the US market and reallocating resources to support the launch of the all-new 2026 Leaf, which will have the lowest starting MSRP out of all new EVs currently on sale in the US.”
Nissan will halt US imports of its Ariya electric SUV after the 2025 model 12 months. Bloomberg by way of Getty Images
The company added that the Ariya will stay accessible by way of present supplier stock and that present house owners will proceed to obtain service, elements, and guarantee protection.
Nissan additionally mentioned no choice has been made on whether or not the Ariya will return for model 12 months 2027.
A White House official disputed the declare that tariffs had been the rationale Nissan pulled the 2026 Ariya, saying that the company offered fewer than 20,000 items in all of 2024.
While Nissan did sell fewer than 20,000 items of the Ariya, it did symbolize a 47% increase from the 12 months prior, when it offered barely more than 13,000.
The White House official instructed The Post that it wasn’t enough of an increase to warrant holding it on the market.
The Ariya is assembled at Nissan’s Tochigi plant in Japan, which suggests each US-bound unit is now subject to the new 15% tariff beneath the US–Japan commerce framework carried out this month.
Analysts say the tariff, layered on prime of cooling EV demand and Nissan’s strained funds made this system tougher to justify.
Automobiles like Nissan’s Ariya stay subject to the new 15% US tariff. Erman Gunes – stock.adobe.com
Meanwhile, Nissan has cut back manufacturing of the new Leaf at Tochigi as a result of of battery procurement points.
Over the summer season, the company trimmed its broader Leaf output plans after Beijing tightened exports of rare-earth supplies crucial to EV batteries.
In the US, Nissan additionally delayed two electric crossovers deliberate for its Canton, Miss., plant by about 10 months.
The Ariya solely arrived within the US in 2023 as Nissan’s first fashionable electric SUV, following more than a decade of reliance on the smaller, cheaper Leaf.
Whether it comes back in 2027 could hinge not solely on Nissan’s stability sheet but additionally on whether or not tariffs keep in place.
President Trump signed a Sept. 4 government order setting a flat 15% tariff on Japanese vehicle imports. AFP by way of Getty Images
In July, Washington and Tokyo struck a main settlement beneath which Japan pledged to invest $550 billion within the US and increase purchases of American items — from Boeing jets to farm and power merchandise.
The US set a baseline 15% tariff on almost all Japanese imports.
Items beforehand above 15% dropped to fifteen%, whereas many beneath 15% rose to that stage.
Trump signed an government order on Sept. 4 implementing the cuts, which took impact Sept. 16.
Automobiles just like the Ariya stay subject to the 15% fee.
The deal permits Washington to raise tariffs again if Japan fails to fulfill its commitments.
