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No Nissan Ariya for model-year 2026 as automaker cancels imports

If you wanted an Ariya, you can blame the Trump tariffs for its cancellation.

Jonathan M. Gitlin – | 59
A Nissan Ariya parked next to a building and some cherry blossoms.
Credit: Nissan
Credit: Nissan
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Last week we drove the new Nissan Leaf, an inexpensive compact electric vehicle. Now equipped with things like active battery thermal management, the new Leaf is actually Nissan’s second modern EV, after the debut a couple of years ago of the Ariya SUV. But if you want an Ariya, you ought to hurry—the model has been cut from Nissan USA’s offerings for model-year 2026, according to a report in Automotive News.

According to a letter sent by Nissan to its dealers, obtained by the trade publication, “This decision enables the company to reallocate resources and optimize its EV portfolio as the automotive landscape continues to evolve.” Whether the Ariya returns for MY27 is unclear and probably depends both on the state of the US EV market by then as well as Nissan’s own finances.

The blame? The 15 percent import tariff levied by President Trump, which is one straw too many for the financially beleaguered automaker, as the Ariya is built in Japan at Nissan’s Tochigi plant and must be shipped across the ocean to fulfill US orders.

The news follows a report earlier this week that Nissan has cut back Leaf production at Tochigi for the next few months as a result of a battery shortage.

And as we learned in July, the car company had already cut production plans for the Leaf due to restrictions on Chinese rare-earth exports. Additionally, it has postponed plans to build a pair of EVs that were scheduled to go into production in Canton, Mississippi, only months after canceling another pair of EVs meant to be built there.

“Nissan is 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 Ariya remains available in the US through existing inventory, and Nissan will continue to support Ariya owners with service, parts, and warranty coverage,” the company said a statement.

This story was updated with a statement from Nissan. 

Photo of Jonathan M. Gitlin
Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor
Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC.
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