Nissan Motor Co. is developing a hybrid system that can be used to power smaller cars as an interim solution to improving mileage before pure electric cars can take over.
Executive Vice President Mitsuhiko Yamashita said Japan's No.3 automaker had made no final decision about actually offering small and mid-sized hybrid vehicles. The technology may be necessary for consumers who need fuel-efficient, all-purpose cars that have the same driving range as conventional gasoline or diesel cars, he said.
"The best option of course would be for zero-emission electric vehicles to cover all needs, but that's going to take a while," Yamashita, who heads research and development at Nissan, said at a Monday briefing on the automaker's latest vehicle technologies.
A mass rollout of hybrids would signal a major shift in strategy for Nissan, which has been looking to close the image gap in environmentally friendly technology with hybrid pioneers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. by leading in the zero-emission electric vehicle field.
Lukewarm on hybrids
Despite the surging popularity of gasoline-electric hybrids in Japan, Nissan has remained lukewarm on the technology. The company has announced plans only to mount its internally developed hybrid system on low-volume, high-end cars such as the Fuga sedan and Infiniti models, starting next year.
Nissan has said it will seek to reduce its vehicles' overall carbon dioxide emissions mainly by making improvements to its engines and transmissions and by reducing vehicle weight.
The Nikkei business daily reported this month, however, that Nissan was planning to launch a hybrid version of its Serena minivan, its top-selling model in Japan, in 2011. Nissan has said it has no official plans beyond the debut of the luxury hybrids.
Nissan has long argued that zero-emission electric vehicles, while limited in range on one charge, are sufficient for everyday use. The company cites research that more than 80 percent of drivers travel less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) a day.
Source: Automotive News
Executive Vice President Mitsuhiko Yamashita said Japan's No.3 automaker had made no final decision about actually offering small and mid-sized hybrid vehicles. The technology may be necessary for consumers who need fuel-efficient, all-purpose cars that have the same driving range as conventional gasoline or diesel cars, he said.
"The best option of course would be for zero-emission electric vehicles to cover all needs, but that's going to take a while," Yamashita, who heads research and development at Nissan, said at a Monday briefing on the automaker's latest vehicle technologies.
A mass rollout of hybrids would signal a major shift in strategy for Nissan, which has been looking to close the image gap in environmentally friendly technology with hybrid pioneers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. by leading in the zero-emission electric vehicle field.
Lukewarm on hybrids
Despite the surging popularity of gasoline-electric hybrids in Japan, Nissan has remained lukewarm on the technology. The company has announced plans only to mount its internally developed hybrid system on low-volume, high-end cars such as the Fuga sedan and Infiniti models, starting next year.
Nissan has said it will seek to reduce its vehicles' overall carbon dioxide emissions mainly by making improvements to its engines and transmissions and by reducing vehicle weight.
The Nikkei business daily reported this month, however, that Nissan was planning to launch a hybrid version of its Serena minivan, its top-selling model in Japan, in 2011. Nissan has said it has no official plans beyond the debut of the luxury hybrids.
Nissan has long argued that zero-emission electric vehicles, while limited in range on one charge, are sufficient for everyday use. The company cites research that more than 80 percent of drivers travel less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) a day.
Source: Automotive News
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