In an industry grappling with vehicle shortages and changing consumer attitudes about strolling through dealership lots, Nissan is ditching convention in going to market with its newest model — the electric Ariya crossover.
Rather than have dealers order the Ariya at launch, Nissan will take reservations directly from potential customers.
It's a distribution approach gaining momentum for yet another industry trend: Automakers are struggling to get their retailers enthusiastic about stocking and selling electric vehicles.
Nissan will announce the start of Ariya reservations this week. The Rogue-sized model will be Nissan's entry into the bustling compact-EV-crossover segment when it goes on sale in the U.S. in the second half of next year.