Nissan working on a luxury performance hybrid for 2010?
Over at eGMCarTech they are reporting that when Nissan does finally begin selling a hybrid based on their own internally developed technology, there will be a luxury sedan in the mix. Nissan has already announced they will sell a natively designed hybrid in 2010. Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has also made clear that he is not a fan of hybrids. Given the complexity and development effort required, diesel engines can get comparable efficiency for less money. So it appears that instead of a Prius competitor, they will instead go after the Lexus GS450h with a hybrid version of the next generation Infiniti M45. From an economic standpoint, this might make sense, since they can more readily bake in the extra cost in a luxury sport sedan. They can also achieve the performance of the V-8 powered M45 with the efficiency of the 6-cylinder M35. Of course even if they do make a hybrid M, they could still follow the Toyota path and put hybrid drive-trains in everything. What I'd really like to see though is diesel-hybrid Altima coupe.
[Source: eGMCarTech via MotorAuthority.com - thanks to Omar for the tip]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Turbofrog 7:33PM (1/26/2007)
Not really surprising. Most people aren't willing to compromise on a car for anyone else's sake, let alone the environment.
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