Nissan Motor Corp has already announced their plan to join Chevy, Saturn, Toyota and Jeep in producing an electric car slated for release sometime in 2010.  There hasn’t been much information about the Nissan project but today’s green motoring headlines are reporting that Nissan is actually testing a hybrid-equipped M35 with plans to release a hybrid as part of its Infiniti luxury line of cars and SUVs.

European Release
State-side fans of the Infiniti line that want to purchase a luxury hybrid aren’t going to be as luck as their European counterparts.  Initial release information is that the Infiniti hybrid will be released initially in the European market.

Prototype Basics
Although Nissan executives are very tight-lipped about the project, engineers are currently test-driving a prototype parallel hybrid system in an Infiniti M35 with the standard 3.5 Liter V6 engine that M35s are known for.

Lexus Comparison
Lexus has already entered the hybrid market with a full line of luxury hybrids available in the United States.  In an article posted on the UK-based Autocar website, the differences include “one electric motor rather than two. It also has a pair of dry clutches instead of the planetary gearset that permanently links the Lexus’s two motor-generators to its petrol engine. The advantage is that the electric engine can drive without a physical connection to the petrol engine, reducing driveline drag.”

Infiniti Hybrid Basics
In addition to the above- mentioned differences over the Lexus hybrids, the article also goes on to state that the future Infiniti hybrid will be a rear-wheel drive vehicle that runs on lithium-ion batteries.  Working with electronics guru NEC, Nissan is hoping to avoid the problems that are commonly seen with the next-gen lithium-ion batteries that they plan to use in the production hybrid.

Nissan 350Z and Infiniti G37 Hybrids
This was music to my ears as I love the Nissan 350Z and G37 models.  Up until a few months ago, I drove a moderately-modified Infiniti G35 Coupe but it wasn’t environmentally-friendly nor kid-friendly so I’ve moved on.  However the Daily Dispatch Online is saying that there may be a chance that one of these two sports coupes will be offered as hybrid in the future.

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