REPORT: Nissan not planning Prius/Insight competitor
Nissan EV-02 - Click above for a high-res image gallery
As you read this, Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda are in the midst of a knock-down, drag-out fight for global hybrid supremacy with their two latest gas-electrics, the standard-bearing 2010 Prius and the revived-for-2010 Insight, respectively. Might Nissan, Japan's other major automaker, get involved in the fuel-saving games?
Not exactly. According to Senior Vice President Andy Palmer, Nissan would rather stick to fully electric vehicles and is content to let other automakers battle it out on the hybrid front, at least on the smaller end of the spectrum. As quoted in Automotive News, Palmer says: "We think it's a more persuasive technology... that's where we're directing our efforts. In the small cars, it's clear we're going to make the EV happen." Nissan does offer a hybrid version of its Altima sedan, but the technology is licensed from Toyota.
Nissan and corporate partner Renault have announced aggressive plans to launch small electric vehicles starting in 2010 and in a slew of countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, Monaco, Ireland, Switzerland and China. According to Nissan's plan, these EVs will be priced to compete with mainstream vehicles like the company's own Altima and the Toyota Camry.
Gallery: Nissan EV
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
paulwesterberg 4:27PM (4/22/2009)
Pure EV should be simpler and cheaper than complex volt systems. A small EV with a modest range is the perfect commuter car and would probably qualify for the full 7.5k subsidy. If they can put out a car like this for 20k it would be a serious competitor.
You might even be able to add a generator on a trailer for those times when you need extended range.
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George Parrott 4:33PM (4/22/2009)
OK, so "Nissan" will not be doing hybrids, but they have announced that there will be Infiniti hybrids as early as next year and further that the Infiniti brand hybrid will be "the first to market with lithium based batteries." At least I saw that reported several months ago...
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Chris M 4:56PM (4/22/2009)
Yes, Nissan is developing their own hybrid, but is not planning to compete in the "bargain hybrid" competition. Instead, they plan on luxury hybrids, and competing strongly in the EV arena.
brn 5:10PM (4/22/2009)
Did I miss something? Was there a reason we expected Nissan to be building a Prius/Insight competitor? Ford seems like a better candidate.
Please tell what else Nissan isn't doing.
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John 1:41AM (4/23/2009)
well no i dont think we expected Nissan to jump in on the honda toyota rollercoaster but its nice to see that they still dont plan to despite the hype involved. glad to see they are going to be using their hybrid system for the high end stuff and allow all us poor consumers :P to get our hands on a pure electric.
now show us what it looks like by golly, they are going to have so much anticipation its got to be damn good when they release final pics, not that i dont like the cube test form but come on guys :P
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Tohe 7:03AM (4/23/2009)
I know right, the cube is getting old. EVs on the other hand couldn't be any more exciting.
yepp 12:38AM (4/28/2009)
yes, ford is a better candidate to compete with Toyota with its own hybrid-only model. Partly because it licenses much of its hybrid tech from Toyota--which, in turn, got much of its tech from TRW.
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