Nissan Ariya Lives On in Canada After Being Cancelled in America

Although the American and Canadian markets are very similar, we sometimes get vehicles our neighbours are denied, and another model has been added to that list in a somewhat unusual way. The 2026 Nissan Ariya will not be sold in the U.S. but will continue to be sold in the Great White North.

Automotive News reported today that Nissan paused production of 2026 model year Ariyas bound for the U.S., citing a dealer communication on the matter. However, a Nissan Canada representative told our sister publication, AutoHebdo, that the decision only applies to models bound for that market, not ours.

“This announcement exclusively concerns the American market,” a Nissan spokesperson told AutoHebdo. “The Nissan Ariya will remain available in Canada, and will be sold alongside the all-new 2026 Nissan Leaf.”

Interestingly, the 2026 Leaf might have contributed to the Ariya’s 2026 American hiatus. In its memo to dealers, the automaker wrote that the decision to pause the latter vehicle would allow it “to reallocate resources and optimize its [electric vehicle (EV)] portfolio as the automotive landscape continues to evolve.”

The new Leaf will be more modern than the two-year-old Ariya while also bearing a nameplate with more history, and it will be more affordable, too. That makes the smaller EV a more attractive model in a market that is increasingly focused on affordability.

More to the point, electric vehicles in general are struggling in the U.S. as the federal tax incentives are set to expire. The Ariya is doubly troubled because of a 15 per cent tariffs levied against vehicles imported to the United States from Japan.

Whatever put the final nail in the Ariya’s American coffin, Canadians can rest easy in the knowledge that they will still be able to have a choice of EVs from Nissan.