Hybrid Car Review

Nissan will design its own electric motor, lithium-ion battery and inverter package, in order to create its own hybrid powertrain in the future. But for now, Nissan is dependent on Toyotas hybrid technology, which means its first hybrid, the Nissan Altima saloon hybrid will launch this year using Toyotas Synergy Drive. Nissan is planning on buying 100,000 units of the hybrid system from Toyota over the next five years.

Nissan is making big claims for its new system. They hope it will be 35% smaller and cost 30% less than current hybrid systems. Its inverter alone will cost 30% less and be 20% smaller, with double the power.

Nissan expects the Altima to sell at a loss for the first five years. But, Nissan is willing to start selling now in order to avoid the fines for fuel economy standards. Nissan has couched their cautious approach to selling hybrids with uncertainty in the consumer marketplace. They have been unwilling to jump in to the hybrid market, when they are unsure if hybrid technology will be the final answer.


The full story is at bloomberg.