Nissan COO Toshiyuki Shiga has admitted in a speech to the media that the company will develop its own hybrid technology for use in the new vehicle. The FR configuration would mean the hybrid drivetrain could be used in Nissan’s other mainstream vehicles, including the next-generation FX35/45 SUV, Cima/Infiniti Q45 flagship or the Infiniti QX56 full-size SUV.
Major rivals Toyota and Honda are well ahead of Nissan in the hybrid stakes. The most likely reasons for Nissan’s lack of development of the clean technology is the costs involved, and whether the market is actually worth entering. Ghosn told Japanese media last week that from the mass marketing point of view, hybrids have yet to proven they’re a viable commercial proposition.