Nissan to Pull 2026 Ariya From US Lineup, Redirects to Leaf Amid 15% Japan Tariff

Nissan Motor Co. said it will halt US imports of the 2026 Ariya electric SUV and pause production of the MY26 version for the U.S. market, the company announced Friday. In a memo to its U.S. dealer network, Nissan said the decision would "reallocate resources and optimize its EV portfolio as the automotive landscape continues to evolve," part of a broader shift in how it allocates scarce battery materials and production capacity as demand for electric vehicles changes.

The Ariya will remain available through existing dealer inventory and current owners will continue to receive service, parts and warranty coverage, Nissan said. The company added that no decision has been made on whether the Ariya will return for model year 2027. A White House official disputed that tariffs were the reason for the move, noting Nissan sold fewer than 20,000 Ariyas in all of 2024; sales rose 47% from 2023’s roughly 13,000, but the official said the increase wasn’t large enough to justify keeping the model on the market. The Ariya is assembled at Nissan’s Tochigi plant in Japan, which means every U.S.-bound unit is now subject to the new 15% tariff under the U.S.–Japan trade framework implemented this month. Analysts say the tariff, layered on top of cooling EV demand and Nissan’s strained finances, made the program harder to justify.

Under the new 15% tariff, the baseline rate applies to nearly all Japanese imports, and the deal allows Washington to raise tariffs again if Japan fails to meet its commitments. The executive order implementing the tariff was signed on Sept. 4 and took effect on Sept. 16. The Ariya’s move comes as automakers navigate the policy environment that has boosted prices for Japanese-built vehicles. The Ariya arrived in the U.S. in 2023 as Nissan’s first modern electric SUV after more than a decade with the smaller, cheaper Leaf.

Beyond tariffs, Nissan has faced battery procurement issues that have slowed other EV programs. The company has cut back Leaf production at Tochigi, while Beijing tightened exports of rare-earth materials critical to EV batteries. In the United States, Nissan also delayed two electric crossovers planned for its Canton, Mississippi, plant by about 10 months. The Ariya remains part of Nissan’s broader EV ambitions as the automaker shifts resources to the Leaf, which Nissan says will have the lowest starting MSRP of any new EV currently on sale in the United States.

Analysts say the tariff, cooling EV demand and Nissan’s broader financial pressures have converged to complicate the Ariya program’s viability. The Ariya’s history in the United States began in 2023, and its fate for 2027 could depend less on demand and more on tariff policy and Nissan’s balance sheet. Whether the Ariya returns to the U.S. lineup for model year 2027 will hinge on broader policy decisions and market conditions, the company and industry observers said.

Meanwhile, Nissan’s immediate priority is delivering the 2026 Leaf, which the company says will have the lowest starting MSRP among new EVs on sale in the United States, to maintain volume as it retools its lineup for a more price-competitive, battery-supply-conscious era of EVs.