Nissan Motor has been forced to delay the global roll-out of its new Ariya electric vehicle due to the current industry-wide semiconductor shortage.
The Ariya is Nissan’s first mass-market all-electric vehicle since it launched the Leaf a decade ago.
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The model is seen a key part of the automaker’s future growth strategy and was described by CEO Makoto Uchida as “opening a new chapter” for the company.
The carmaker originally planned to begin domestic sales of the Ariya in mid-2021 before launching the model in Europe, North America and China towards the end of this year.
Nissan announced last week customers could now place orders for only limited edition B6 models from this month, with deliveries scheduled this coming “winter”, while new delivery dates for export markets were not announced.
It confirmed the chip shortage, which had affected all major global carmakers, had slowed the Ariya roll-out.
A company spokesperson told the AFP news agency: “We have been facing various industry challenges, including semiconductor shortages, 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.”
