Ariya

Make
Nissan
Segment
SUV

The 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas is nearly upon us, and it's shaping up to be something special. We can look forward to Dodge revealing a new Daytona SRT electric muscle car, rugged Ram and Jeep concepts from Mopar, and a more intensified focus on EVs than we've seen before.

Not to be outdone, Nissan has just shared some pictures and details of the six concepts it will be bringing to Las Vegas this year as part of its Thrill Street exhibit. What stands out is the sheer diversity of Nissan's plans, with everything from off-road vehicles to retro-inspired EVs and street-focused Nismo parts on the new Z coupe. The Japanese marque will also debut the new Z GT4 racing car in public for the first time.

The first concept stems from a collaboration with Tommy Pike Customs from Greenville, South Carolina. Called the Nissan Sunny Leaf project, it's a combination of a Nissan Leaf's powertrain in a classic Sunny pickup. The Sunny, of course, was primarily known as the compact sedan that was later marketed in America as the Sentra. But there was also a classic Sunny pickup, and this one is cooler than any version before it.

147 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque don't sound like much, but this is a tinier truck than most. Intriguingly, it is paired with a factory-original 56A manual transmission. Riding on 17-inch Rotiform wheels, it has a "Hakosuka" Skyline widebody kit, Brock Racing Enterprises livery, and a LED lighting conversion.

Next up is an Ariya Surfwagon concept that is a much wilder take on the standard electric crossover. Once again, Tommy Pike Customs had a hand in this creation. Imagined as a beach-style surf wagon, it has a wood panel-style wrap that is intended as a throwback to beach cruisers from decades gone by. It has "smoothie" 20-inch wheels with polished stainless steel center caps, retro white-wall tires, and a lowered suspension. The custom roof rack makes it possible to carry two seven-foot surfboards.

But despite these two great electric concepts, Nissan also has a few surprises in store for those who prefer relying on gas rather than electrons. The Nismo Off-Road Frontier V8 concept was built by Forsberg Racing and beefs up the Frontier pickup with a widebody conversion, Nismo off-road parts, and a unique suspension.

A Frontier of an entirely different kind is the Frontier Street Truck project. This was brought to life by automotive influencer and content creator Christina Roki. Using a 2022 Frontier King Cab S as a base, Roki then added a widebody kit, an aggressively lowered suspension, and 20-inch Black Rhino Kaizen wheels to recall the "mini truckin'" craze that was popular in the 1990s. It also has custom Alcantara upholstery, a custom graphic wrap, and a MagnaFlow Street Series cat-back exhaust.

Keen to show what's possible with the new Nissan Z platform, the Nismo Accessorized Z is sure to garner plenty of attention at SEMA. It's loaded with mechanical and styling upgrades, starting with a Nismo coilover suspension kit.

Further contributing to dynamics is an adjustable stabilizer bar kit and special Nismo suspension components like front upper arms, front outer tie rod ends, rear midlinks, and rear lower camber links. The Nismo big brake kit features track-ready brake pads and six-piston front/four-piston rear calipers. The standard wheels are replaced by Nismo LM-RS1 19-inch forged wheels that can be finished in black, anthracite, or bronze semi-gloss. These are wrapped in Bridgestone RE71RS tires.

Under the hood, the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 has a Nismo cold air intake which helps to increase airflow. A Nismo performance heat exchanger, meanwhile, ensures optimum performance during hot, demanding track days. A stainless steel Nismo track exhaust and a street twin-disc clutch and flywheel kit designed to handle up to 800 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque round out the changes that should make this sports coupe a joy to drive.

Outside, the Nismo treatment continues. The car has carbon fiber exterior door mirrors, Nismo kick plates, and a Nismo carbon fiber engine cover. There is a new titanium shift knob and a carbon fiber steering wheel, too. We expect these Nismo parts to fly off the shelves when they reach Nissan dealerships in early 2023.

Chris Forsberg's 1,300-hp 2023 Formula Drift Z will also make an appearance. It uses a modified VR38DETT twin-turbo V6 to achieve its staggering outputs, and an array of other alterations to the chassis and body to prepare it for Formula Drift. Rounding out the trio of Z cars will be the recently revealed Z GT4 racing car that is expected to appear on circuits next year.

You can find Nissan's Thrill Street exhibit in the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall, booth #52141.