Nissan’s first hybrid will carry a Infiniti bade and will arrive in 2010. However, Nissan’s manager of hybrid engineering unit, Tatsuo Abe, admits that the company has many kinks to work out before a full-production model arrives. During a preview the Infiniti hybrid prototype suffered some engine lags and jerkiness due to the battery regeneration.

“We still have a few issues with this development vehicle,” said Abe, manager of Nissan’s hybrid engineering unit. “We need to make some adjustments before 2010.”

Currently Nissan’s only hybrid is the Altima that is helping it compete with Toyota and Honda. The hybrid system used in the Altima was developed with a collaboration with Toyota. It’s first in-house Infiniti hybrid will have a rear-wheel-drive architecture with V6 engine mated to a 110 lb lithium-ion battery. Abe says that it will have a 3-mile range in electric-only mode.

The prototype was a Infiniti G35 and Nissan’s r&d chief Mitsuhiko Yamashita says hybrid will get 40 percent better mileage than standard model. Price difference is expected to be under $5,000.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Requred)