Nissan Japan Closes Orders For Z and Ariya. Could That Be Bad For North America?

Could a suspended Nissan Z and Ariya production order book in Japan mean trouble for us in North America?

Earlier today, Nissan Japan announced that it was suspending orders of the Nissan Fairlady Z (known as simply the Nissan Z in North America) and 2WD variants of the Nissan Ariya electric crossover in Japan. The company cited semiconductor issues, supply chain issues, factory shutdowns due to COVID, and more, as the reason why the orders are closed.

Will this affect anyone here in North America? Well, arguably, it already has. Back in late May, Nissan dealers were told to stop taking orders for the electric crossover, indefinitely. Nissan’s COO Ashwani Gupta essentially told dealers that it wanted to be realistic as to how many orders it could realistically deliver this year and that the brand needed “manage customer expectations.”

Still, despite the logistical issues, Nissan claims that both the Ariya and Z will be delivered on time. Front-wheel-drive Ariya models will go on sale first, with the all-wheel-drive models coming “a few months later.”

Now, the whole world is still playing catch up, as we all emerge from, and navigate a post-COVID landscape. Although Nissan claims that immediate deliveries and demand for the 2023 Ariya won’t be affected, it’s hard to imagine that the next year’s demand won’t also be equally hard to fulfill. For example, Ford hasn’t been able to keep up with demand for the Mach-E, Maverick, and Bronco. All Nissan Ariyas are made in the same plant, and with reportedly strong demand both in Japan and North America for the EV crossover, it may be a long time before Nissan can catch up with demand.

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