Nissan’s 2010 hybrid is getting set for release under the Infiniti, but the Nissan project manager in charge of the development of the car says there are still some significant kinks to deal with before the vehicle can be released.
Nissan 2008 tested the car in front of journalists last week in Japan and the results were less than desirable. The vehicle suffered a few uncomfortable lags when the engine chimed in to help out the electric motor, for starters. Because of battery regeneration, deceleration was also quite wobbly.
Nissan Motor Co. is pinning its hopes on the new hybrid vehicle to help it catch Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. in the race to provide the best green vehicles to a changing marketplace. To date, Nissan’s only hybrid is a version of the Altima car that is equipped with a Toyota-developed system.
I’m not sure of the specifics, but I’m sure that Nissan has some plans to ease out the kinks in its hybrid. But if Nissan cars aim to reach the same level as Honda vehicles or Toyota hybrids, they’ll have an uphill climb ahead of them. They also have a lot to learn, as Toyota looks to continue its dominance of the industry without even breaking a sweat.
