Nissan Pulls the Plug on the Ariya EV in US
The Japanese automaker is shifting its focus to a more budget-oriented EV strategy.By Natalie NeffPublished: Sep 19, 2025 2:03 PM EDT
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2024 Nissan
Nissan has quietly confirmed that the Ariya electric SUV will be discontinued in the US starting with the 2026 model year, a move the company says allows it to reallocate resources toward more affordable EVs such as the new Leaf.
Ariya models will still be available through existing dealer inventory, but Nissan has paused future production of the model for the US market.
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Several factors are apparently behind the decision. The Ariya, which starts around $41,265, is built in Japan and subject to a 15% import tariff, significantly raising its cost in US showrooms. Add to this the imminent loss of federal EV tax credits, competition in its segment, and shifting consumer demand, and the math became hard to justify by Nissan.
By contrast, the Leaf is being positioned with a much lower starting price—even more attractive when the entry-level model is launched, as it is expected to be under $30,000.
Nissan has also been dealing with broader supply issues. The new Leaf’s production is reportedly already being trimmed due to battery procurement issues at the Tochigi plant in Japan, which also builds the Ariya. Battery yield shortfalls and logistical bottlenecks are squeezing both models.
Despite the move, Nissan promises ongoing support for Ariya owners, including service, parts, and warranty coverage. The company has said it may revisit the Ariya in later model years depending on how the landscape evolves.
But for a couple of sketchy, short-lived gigs right out of college, Natalie Neff has had the good fortune to spend the entirety of her professional life around cars. A 2017 Honda Ridgeline, 1972 VW Beetle, 1999 Ducati Monster and a well-loved purple-and-white five-speed Schwinn currently call her garage home.
So Long, Supra! We Take the Last Hot Laps in the Final Edition MkV
Slow sales and fast times tell the tale of Toyota’s last pure sports car.By Mark VaughnPublished: Sep 19, 2025 11:48 AM EDTSave Article
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- Say “So long, Supra,” as the MkV stops production in May of 2026.
- We drove a Final Edition around Sonoma Raceway.
- Prices start at $58,695.
Things are short-lived in the small, specialty segment, the segment you and I would call sports cars. The current model Toyota Supra launched in 2019, which constitutes a long product cycle in the car world. Supra sales peaked in the US at 6,830 in 2021 and have been at just over 2,600 a year since 2023.
So if you want to blame someone for the end of the Supra, a car for which there is no replacement in the books according to Toyota, then blame us, you and I. We didn’t buy enough of them.
Super Supras
From the other side of the world, BMW was selling even fewer of its nearly identical platform-mate the Z4, with just 2,129 of that German wunderwagen moving out showroom doors last year.
But I come not to bury Supra, but to praise it.
Final Edition
To mark the passing of this great Japanese sports car, Toyota has launched the Final Edition MkV, with bigger brakes, chassis and suspension improvements, and aero add-ons all aimed at making the car more fun to drive.
“The GR Supra MkV Final Edition aims to deliver a more integrated experience not only for circuits but also for the long and winding roads where sports car enthusiasts feel most at home,” said Toyota.
They ain’t kiddin’.
Power to weight
Power from the turbocharged inline-six remains a robust 382 hp at 5,800-6,500 rpm, and torque holds steady at 368 lb-ft from 1,800-5,000 revs. That’s for a car that weighs just 3,389 pounds with the six-speed manual and 3,411 with the eight-speed automatic.
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Numerous handling improvements put the super in Supra.
What you get from that is a weight-to-power ratio of as low as 8.87 pounds per hp. That also means a 0-60 mph time of 4.2 seconds with the manual transmission and just 3.9 seconds with the automatic.
The Final Edition gets an extra inch of disc brake at the front, with 14.7-inch Brembos up there and 13.6 inches rear.
The only place I wished for more wheelbase and a wider track was in those crazy Esses.
Increased cornering ability comes from: revised electronically controlled shocks, differential controls and camber angles; new front antiroll bar; strengthened rubber bushings for the front control arms; strengthened rubber mounts for the rear sub-frame; a stronger under-body brace; along with modification of the algorithms that control stability.
Aero mods
On the outside, the Final Edition gets a ducktail carbon-fiber rear spoiler, front wheel arch flaps, and higher front tire spats to further enhance handling, optimizing front/rear aerodynamic balance and downforce, Toyota says. Optimized electric power steering delivers a more direct steering feel and improved control. It even sports gloss carbon-fiber mirror caps.
The whole thing rides on new 19-inch forged aluminum matte black wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport 4s measuring 255/35ZR-19 front and 275/35ZR-19 rear.
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A peek inside.
Inside, the genuine leather-trimmed driver’s seat is upholstered in Alcantara and embroidered with the Gazoo Racing (GR) logo, while red stitching, red highlights around the gear shift knob, and red seatbelts add to what Toyota promises is a sporty feel. There’s even a GR cupholder cover and a camo car cover.
At the track
Thus equipped (minus the car cover), I launched down pit row at Sonoma Raceway and had at it.
The power-to-weight is the first thing that jumps out at you. Once I got the green flag at the end of the pits, I hammered it up the hill around Turn 1. It launches with alacrity, roaring up the hill in second, then third gear, before turning in to the blind rise of Turn 2, where you notice the second thing about the Supra, the short wheelbase.
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At just 97.2 inches of wheelbase, with track at 62.8 inches front and 62.6 rear, it turns in easily and quickly. Too quickly? Depends on your driving style. Smoothness always counts.
Third thing: It holds on all the way through the corners. This thing does not let go, at least as far as I was pushing it. The wide, endless Carousel was a safe and speedy passage, with stability a welcome feeling, especially transitioning from hard braking at the end of Turn 5 to hard cornering through 6.
You overly confident, real race car drivers will have it sliding all over the place, since these are street tires made to break away gradually and come back as summoned. But for mere mortals, the Supra makes us confident in any corner.
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The only place I wished for more wheelbase and a wider track was in those crazy Esses on the backside of Sonoma: Turns 8, 8a, 9, and 10. Those got faster every lap I took, but I had to learn to trust the stability of such a relatively small car at great speeds.
If you want one, they’ll keep making them until May of 2026. Price for the Final Edition starts at $58,695 including destination. The obvious competitor is the Nissan Z, which starts at $45,360. The Cayman is way up there at $77,395. Then you also consider all the internet commenter comparos: the Corvette $71,995, Mustang $33,915, and why not throw in the Miata at $31,065.
Best thing might to buy one of each and start a racing series. I’ll help break in the tires.
In the meantime, buy more sports cars so they keep making them.
Mark Vaughn grew up in a Ford family and spent many hours holding a trouble light over a straight-six miraculously fed by a single-barrel carburetor while his father cursed the Blue Oval, all its products and everyone who ever worked there. This was his introduction to objective automotive criticism. He started writing for City News Service in Los Angeles, then moved to Europe and became editor of a car magazine called, creatively, Auto. He decided Auto should cover Formula 1, sports prototypes and touring cars—no one stopped him! From there he interviewed with Autoweek at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show and has been with us ever since.
