Nissan using Infiniti brand to promote hybrid tech

Nissan will be mimicking Toyota and its premium Lexus division by focusing on the luxury end of its product line for hybrid drivetrains. Product planners will use the Infiniti brand to debut Nissan’s own advanced hybrid technology, which engineers are still developing. Nissan already sells a hybrid model in the form of the Altima Hybrid but the powertrain technology for that car was supplied by Toyota.

The news comes from Nissan’s executive vice president for global product planning Carlos Tavares, who also revealed to Automotive News that Nissan will be selling pure-electric cars by the end of the decade.

Nissan is reportedly in talks with several government bodies and large corporations both in Japan and the U.S. over a deal to develop new electric vehicles for urban use.

A third alternative is clean-diesel powertrains, which Nissan will also be backing in the form of a new diesel Maxima. The oil-burner will arrive on the market in 2009 but there are no plans to follow up with an additional diesel model.