- Nissan is bringing new hybrid cars to the North American market in the near future.
- Originally, the company promised cost parity with gas-only cars in the same segment.
- Due to rising material costs, these hybrid models will be priced higher than expected.
Among the major mainstream automotive brands in the U.S., Nissan is a bit of an outlier. While it offers gas-powered cars and electric vehicles, it doesn’t have any hybrids for sale. Now, it’s about to change that and we’re hearing reports that they’ll cost more than initially promised.
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Nissan’s hybrid system, dubbed e-Power, has been on sale in other parts of the world for some time.In fact, it’s already on its third generation, with a new 5-in-1 setup that combines the motor, inverter, generator, reducer, and increaser into a single module. This clever integration cuts weight, boosts efficiency, and helps minimize noise and vibration.
A Different Take on Hybrid Tech
That’s the type that’ll make its way to the U.S.A. in the next Rogue, and it’s unlike most hybrids already on sale in the States. Many hybrids on sale use a battery and electric motor to supplement power from the engine, which is routed to the ground directly.
But in the new e-Power Nissans, the gas engine functions as a generator to charge a battery, and that battery then powers the wheels. It’s a setup more commonly found in diesel trains and a few cars, but Nissan is bringing it to the mainstream.
That can be a real benefit that we’ll talk about soon, but according to Auto News, it’ll cost more than initially expected. In 2023, Nissan said that when e-Power made its debut, it would arrive at a price that reflects what many rivals offer with gas power alone. That would be a huge win in terms of value proposition.
The Price Tag Bump
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Now, the brand is backtracking on that. Shunichi Inamijima, Nissan’s corporate executive in charge of powertrain and electric vehicle technology, told Auto News that the new plan is to sell above that promised price tag, but only because of increased prices for materials that go into it. “We still want to realize cost parity as soon as possible,” Inamijima continued. When asked for a new timeline on that goal, his response was, predictably, “no comment.”
That’ll be key in gaining market share where customers aren’t familiar with the system or its advantages. “E-Power is different because it is derived from EV technology and drives like an EV,” CTO Eiichi Akashi said. “Customers who feel an EV is inconvenient can use it with gasoline. Its unique value is this.”
If Nissan ends up being right about fuel economy, it’ll be around 15 percent better than the previous e-Power at high speeds and 9 percent in the city. That might not sound like much but keep in mind that we expect the Rogue that it’ll arrive in to have a tiny 1.8 kWh battery pack. While it’ll drive somewhat like an EV, it doesn’t have the battery capacity to store much energy, so the engine will need to work often.
When Will We See It?
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As for when you’ll be able to actually get your hands on an e-Power Nissan in the U.S., well, that’s a bit further down the road. While Europe will get the new e-Power Qashqai later this year, North American buyers will have to wait quite a bit longer. Nissan plans to launch the fourth-generation Rogue crossover sometime during the fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2027. So, don’t hold your breath for this one just yet.
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