Nissan to release the Fuga hybrid
Yoshio Takahashi -
MARKETWATCH - July 6, 2010
Will the technology from Nissan be a blended combination or a stellar leap to an all new efficient hybrid? --Ed.
A Nissan Motor Co. engineer said Tuesday that a gasoline-electric hybrid version of its Fuga sedan will likely be up to 90% more fuel-efficient than the gasoline-powered version.
"We expect (fuel economy) to improve by 60%-90%" over the conventional model, Koichi Hayasaki, a Nissan chief engineer, told reporters at a media briefing on the company's new power-train technology.
The remarks give the first indication of the fuel efficiency of the Fuga hybrid, which is Nissan's first gasoline-electric model sold on a full-scale basis using the company's own hybrid technology.
Nissan, Japan's second biggest car maker by volume, will roll out the Fuga hybrid this autumn in Japan and next year in the U.S. The model will be driven by a 3.5 liter V6 engine and an electric motor.
Nissan is strong in electric cars, but the company has fallen behind rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.TO) in the hybrid car segment. It currently sells only its Altima hybrid model, which uses Toyota's hybrid technology.
Hayasaki said Nissan's own hybrid system will be about 30 kilograms lighter than Toyota's system, helping its cars to consume less gasoline. Nissan's system uses one electric motor whereas Toyota's uses two.
The engineer also said the cost of Nissan's hybrid system should be lower that those of Toyota's due to its simpler structure, though he declined to elaborate....
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