Nissan launches its first hybrid with Fuga/Infiniti M

Nissan Motor Co on Tuesday launched its first gasoline-electric car developed in-house, saying the high-end Fuga hybrid gets listed mileage of 19.0km/litre in Japan, comparable to a compact car.                                           
 

The car, Nissan's top-of-the-line sedan, starts at 5,775,000 yen ($71,470). The Fuga is sold as the Infiniti M in the United States and a few other markets, and the hybrid M is due to be rolled out in the United States and Europe in coming months.                    
 

Nissan lags rivals Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co by more than a decade in offering a proprietary hybrid model. Instead, it is aiming to be the leader in the zero-emission arena with top shareholder Renault SA by introducing the first mass-scale electric car this year.                                           

Nissan said its one-motor, two-clutch hybrid system would achieve far better fuel economy, at a much lower technical cost compared with hybrid leader Toyota's complex, two-motor "series parallel" system.                                            
 

The Fuga hybrid gets the best fuel economy among high-end gasoline-electric sedans, topping the Toyota Crown hybrid's 15.8 km/litre, according to Nissan.                                           

Nissan's hybrid system has a structure similar to that of Volkswagen AG , mounting an extra clutch that separates the electric motor from the engine to allow for driving using only electric power when the battery is charged.                                           

Nissan has been selling a small number of Altima hybrids in the United States using Toyota's hybrid system to clear regulations in California.                                            
 

The FugaInfiniti M hybrid uses lithium-ion batteries produced by Nissan's battery unit, Automotive Energy Supply (AESC), held jointly with NEC Corp.