An electric crossover that waited for chips, a small SUV meant for Datsun and a mid-size SUV delayed by a diesel tax.
The Nissan Ariya is a battery-electric compact crossover built since 2022. The Magnite is a subcompact crossover launched in 2020 on the CMF-A+ platform. The Terra is a mid-size SUV unveiled in 2018 with petrol and diesel engines, sold in markets from Thailand to the Middle East.
The Nissan Magnite was supposed to be a Datsun. With Datsun due to be discontinued, the flagship SUV planned for that marque moved to Nissan, and became the smallest Nissan crossover in the world. Its stablemates here are the Ariya, an electric crossover held up by a chip shortage, and the Terra, delayed two years by a diesel tax.
What are the Nissan Ariya, Magnite and Terra?
Three Nissan SUVs, three sizes: the Ariya, a battery-electric compact crossover made in Tochigi prefecture since January 2022; the Magnite, a subcompact crossover unveiled in October 2020; and the Terra, a mid-size SUV shown at Auto China in April 2018.
The Magnite began as a Datsun flagship and became the smallest Nissan crossover in the world.
Where did the Nissan Magnite come from?
During development the Magnite was planned as the flagship SUV for Datsun. When the Datsun marque was slated for discontinuation, it passed to Nissan in the final phases. The name Datsun Magnite was trademarked in India in April 2019, and Nissan Magnite followed in March 2020. The word itself is a portmanteau of magnetic and ignite.
Nissan previewed the car for the first time in February 2020 as a side-view silhouette, and revealed the Magnite Concept virtually on 17 July 2020. It slots below the Juke in Nissan's global SUV line-up.
How is the Nissan Magnite built and where is it sold?
The production Magnite was revealed on 21 October 2020, and production began on 30 October. India launched it on 2 December 2020 and Indonesia followed on 21 December. It rides on the CMF-A+ platform, an extended version of CMF-A that also underpins the Renault Triber and Kiger.
At first Nissan exported it only to right-hand-drive emerging markets: Indonesia, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Uganda, Kenya, the Seychelles, Mozambique, Zambia, Mauritius, Tanzania and Malawi. In October 2023 the naturally aspirated model gained an automated manual option, marketed as EZ-Shift.
The 2024 facelift and new markets
The facelifted Magnite was unveiled on 4 October 2024 with a larger grille, gloss black surrounds, repositioned foglights, new taillights and new alloy wheels. The interior changed little, though a black and orange colour theme was added. In February 2025, left-hand-drive facelifted cars began to ship to the Middle East, Latin America, North Africa and Asia-Pacific.
The Middle East debut came on 17 March 2025, with a 1.0-litre turbocharged engine and a CVT in S, SV and SL trims. Mexico followed on 4 April 2025, with a manual or CVT and Advance and Exclusive trims. Laos received it on 15 August 2025, and Egypt on 25 July 2026 as a CKD model, with the turbo engine and CVT.
In the Philippines, Nissan previewed the Magnite at the Philippine International Motor Show in 2024, and the model was listed in homologation documents in 2025, with Indian-built VE Turbo and VL Turbo variants.
How safe is the Nissan Magnite?
The pre-facelift Indian-market Magnite scored 4 stars for adults and 2 stars for toddlers from Global NCAP in the first half of 2022, a test similar to Latin NCAP 2013. Under Global NCAP's newer protocols, similar to Latin NCAP 2016, the same car managed 2 stars for adult and child protection, because it lacked side and curtain airbags and offered ESC too sparingly.
Nissan then submitted the facelifted car for a voluntary test and it won 4 stars for adults and children, though driver chest protection in the frontal test was judged weak. After the company made changes to the restraint systems, it achieved 5 stars for adult occupants. Driver chest protection was rated good, and Nissan showed that occupants of different heights had their knees safeguarded from hard structures in the dashboard. In ASEAN NCAP testing in 2020, the ASEAN-market Magnite earned 4 stars.
What is the Nissan Ariya?
The Ariya is a compact crossover SUV and the brand's first zero-emissions SUV. Nissan revealed the production car in July 2020 and planned to start US sales in the second half of 2021. The chip shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the launch back to 2022.
It began as a concept at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, presented on 24 October 2019 as a refinement of the Nissan IMx concept shown in 2017. The concept was a 100 percent electric coupe SUV 4.6 m (15 ft) long, with 21-inch rims, LED headlamps and an illuminated logo on a grille that formed a large "V". Its dashboard carried two 12.3-inch screens joined into one, from which the ProPilot 2.0 driver assistance system was controlled. Nissan gave a target of 5.1 seconds for 0-60 mph, said the concept would use CHAdeMO DC charging, and said that US and European cars would support the CCS standard.
Ariya in the showroom
Pricing for North America emerged in November 2021, spread over four grades (Venture, Evolve+, Empower+ and Premiere). The first US and Canadian cars arrived in late 2022 as 2023 models, and a Platinum+ grade joined in May 2023.
Buyers choose front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (e-4orce) and a 63 kWh or 87 kWh battery, with the smaller pack offered only on the Engage base trim. Nissan's Safety Shield 360 system, including the ProPilot driver assist, is standard. The more advanced ProPilot 2.0, which allows hands-free driving under certain conditions, is available on some trims. New Zealand received the Ariya in November 2024 and Australia in September 2025, in Engage, Advance and Evolve variants.
The 2023 Ariya won a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS. It applies to cars built after March 2023, when Nissan adjusted the headlights and fitted LED projector headlights to all trims.
Nismo and the 2026 facelift
The Ariya Nismo was introduced on 12 January 2024 at the Tokyo Auto Salon. In Japan it came in two grades, both with e-4ORCE all-wheel drive as standard: the B9 e-4ORCE with up to 320 kW (435 PS; 429 hp) and the B6 e-4ORCE with up to 270 kW (367 PS; 362 hp). It has reworked bumpers with a front splitter, side skirts, a tailgate spoiler and red Nismo pinstripes. The Nismo reached Europe in July 2024, reviving the Nismo name there for the first time since the 370Z Nismo was discontinued in late 2019.
Nissan previewed the 2026 Ariya in October 2025, showed it at the Japan Mobility Show a month later and revealed it in Japan on 23 December 2025. The front is now grille-less, with headlights inspired by the third-generation Leaf, no fog lights and a new Google-powered infotainment system. The United States did not receive the facelifted car because of tariffs.
Nissan also revealed the Ariya Single Seater Concept at its Futures event in December 2021, a Formula E-style electric racer that shares its powertrain with the SUV and its glowing "V" at the front. Tommaso Volpe, Nissan's global motorsports director, called it a powerful demonstration of how thrilling electric vehicles could be.
What is the Nissan Terra?
The Terra is a mid-size SUV launched to the public at Auto China in April 2018. In size it sits between the compact X-Trail (Rogue) and the full-size Patrol (Armada). It takes the place left by the R51 Pathfinder, sold from 2005 to 2012, and it replaces the Paladin in China. The name is Latin for earth.
A long road to launch
Development began around 2011, when work started on the D23 Navara and Nissan considered an SUV based on it as successor to the Paladin. Executives targeted the growing Chinese and Middle Eastern markets, but development was halted in 2014 and 2015 because they could not decide where the car belonged, given that the popular X-Trail sat so close to the target segment.
The Terra had been planned for 2016. Rivals including the Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Ford Everest all launched new generations in 2015, which forced Nissan to evaluate and improve the details. A new Thai excise tax structure based on emissions then required a cleaner YS23DDTT diesel engine. The result was a delay of two years. Full details were revealed on 15 March 2018, and the car was unveiled the next month.
Pedro Deanda, the chief product specialist who supervised development, says the Terra shares its front door panels, bonnet and door handles with the D23 Navara, while the chassis and suspension were re-engineered to be shorter for comfort and manoeuvrability.
Terra engines
The Terra launched with three engines: a 2.5-litre QR25DE four-cylinder petrol making 134 kW (180 hp; 182 PS) at 6,000 rpm and 251 Nm at 4,000 rpm, a 2.3-litre twin-turbocharged YS23DDTT diesel, and a 2.5-litre YD25DDTi diesel. Both diesels produce 140 kW (188 hp; 190 PS), at 3,600 rpm or 3,750 rpm, and 450 Nm of torque, at 2,000 rpm or between 1,500 and 2,500 rpm. A six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission is fitted. Ground clearance is 225 mm (8.9 in).
Where is the Nissan Terra sold?
- China: launched in April 2018, built by Zhengzhou Nissan. In 2023 a rebadged pre-facelift car appeared as the Dongfeng Paladin, also known as the Oting Paladin, with a 4K31T turbocharged petrol engine producing 168 kW (228 PS) built by Shenyang Aerospace Mitsubishi.
- Thailand: launched on 16 August 2018 with the 2.3-litre diesel, which emits 196 g/km of CO2, below the 200 g/km limit needed for a 5 percent tax incentive. A facelift followed on 19 August 2021.
- Philippines: launched on 28 May 2018 with a 2.5-litre diesel. It is 15 mm wider and 3 mm longer than the Chinese version and seats 7, against 5. A facelift came on 1 September 2021.
- Indonesia: launched on 2 August 2018 at the Gaikindo show, imported from Thailand. Imports paused from 2020 to 2022 because of low sales, after 2,757 units had been sold. The facelift appeared on 11 August 2022, with sales beginning on 10 March 2023.
- Brunei: launched in early 2019 in Mid, High and Premium models, with only a 2.5-litre diesel and six airbags on all trims. A facelift followed on 26 December 2021.
- Middle East: the facelifted car went to GCC markets on 25 November 2020 as the X-Terra, in SE, Titanium and Platinum trims, all with the 2.5-litre petrol.
- Iran: Ista Motor Aras began assembling the Fengdu Paladin locally in mid-2023, after its February 2022 debut as the Leo-MX8, and it was later renamed Terra MX-8. In 2024 Persia Khodro started parallel production as the Manian Terra.
- Spain: the Dongfeng Paladin is sold as the Galloper Gredos since 2026, and the importer plans to assemble cars locally from kits.
- Elsewhere: New Caledonia was selling the Terra as of May 2024, the only place in France where it can be bought officially, Russia saw the Paladin in April 2023 through Sinotech Automobile, and Costa Rica saw the X-Terra unveiled in April 2026.
How do the Nissan Ariya, Magnite and Terra compare?
| Feature | Ariya | Magnite | Terra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Segment | Compact crossover SUV | Subcompact crossover SUV | Mid-size SUV |
| Power | Battery electric | Petrol, naturally aspirated or 1.0-litre turbo | 2.5 petrol; 2.3 and 2.5 diesel |
| Transmission note | Electric drive; front-wheel or e-4orce all-wheel | Manual, CVT or EZ-Shift automated manual | Six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic |
| Unveiled | Concept 2019, production July 2020 | October 2020 | April 2018 |
| Platform note | Built in Tochigi | CMF-A+, shared with Triber and Kiger | Shares parts with D23 Navara |
| Safety result | 2023 IIHS Top Safety Pick | Global NCAP 5 stars adult (after changes) | Six airbags on Brunei cars |
What changed for each SUV most recently?
The Ariya's facelift was unveiled in Japan in December 2025, and tariffs kept it out of the United States. The Magnite has spread from right-hand-drive emerging markets to the Middle East, Mexico, Laos and Egypt in left-hand drive. In Spain, the Galloper Gredos importer plans to assemble the Dongfeng Paladin from kits.
