Report: 2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid will have nearly double the mileage than gasoline version

Nissan has been a little slow on developing its in-house hybrid technology but the Japanese automaker says that its first hybrid, the Nissan Fuga Hybrid, will have nearly double the mileage when compared to its gasoline version. At the same time, Nissan plans on keeping the cost down with a single-motor system.

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The Nissan Fuga Hybrid, which will be known as the 2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid in the United States, will get a single-motor, dual-clutch system that will help it get far better fuel-economy than its gasoline sibling. It will also have a 3.5L V6 engine.

“Typically, carmakers say the fuel economy improvement on their cars using a ‘strong’ or ‘full’ hybrid system is roughly 30 percent, while for ‘mild’ hybrids (like Honda’s), it’s 15 percent,” said Koichi Hayasaki, chief engineer of Nissan’s rear-wheel-drive hybrid system. “We’re aiming for an improvement of 60 to 90 percent,” he said, adding that the hybrid Infiniti M would have mileage comparable to that of a compact car.

Official fuel-economy figures will be announced closer to launch.

Click here to read our review on the 2011 Infiniti M.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Reuters