Infiniti says it has set the record for the world's fastest accelerating production full hybrid. On August 23, at the Britain's Santa Pod Raceway, CAR Magazine associate editor Chris Pollard tested the Infiniti M35 hybrid in front of a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records, accelerating from a stop to drive a quarter mile. After multiple runs, the M35h averaged a quarter-mile time of just 13.9031 seconds.
Last week, Nissan announced that its 2012 Infiniti M35h would be the world's first hybrid to come equipped with standard pedestrian warning sounds when it goes on sale early next year. Other hybrid makers seem to be moving in the same direction—perhaps in anticipation of new regulatory frameworks in countries that could mandate such systems on all vehicles capable of driving in near-silence.
We’ve been reporting about the Infiniti M35h Hybrid sedan since March, when Nissan unveiled its luxury hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show. The gas-electric sedan is now much closer to production, and making the international rounds—beginning with the Paris Motor Show that opens next week. A long list of electric cars is likely to upstage the 300-horsepower M35h in Paris, so green enthusiasts might overlook the M35h as last year’s technology. If Nissan, the most ardent of electric car champions, is trumpeting the benefits of a gas-electric hybrid, it must say something about the enduring role that hybrids can play in improving the fuel efficiency of faster and more spacious cars that fuel up at the pumps instead of the plug.
Infiniti will debut the company’s first hybrid model at this fall’s Los Angeles Auto Show. The Infiniti M35 Hybrid will use the conventional M sedan's 3.5-liter V6 engine, coupled with a 68 horsepower electric motor and hybrid drive system. The M hybrid system was designed to fit all of Infiniti's rear-wheel-drive models, including the G sedan and coupe and the EX and FX crossovers. Nissan engineers are already planning on additional hybrid models.
The phrase “Zero Emission” is Nissan’s clarion call for a new era of electric cars, the company’s long-term strategy for sustainable mobility. But Nissan today announced a full range of mid-term fuel-saving technologies, including hybrids, clean diesels, stop-start systems, and continuously variable transmissions. Most notably, the Infiniti M35 Hybrid, could almost double the mileage of the conventional version.
The Nissan Leaf is the first of eight all-electric vehicles expected from Nissan-Renault in the next five years or so. In addition to the Leaf, there’s the Renault Fluence Z.E., an electric version of the stylish Fluence sedan—plus a trio of funky people movers of various sizes (probably headed to Asian markets). But what electric-drive vehicles should we expect from Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand?
Nissan unveiled the Infiniti Essence concept car at the Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday signaling its intention to produce the first vehicle to combine hybrid and diesel technologies. The luxury fantasy comes complete with lithium ion batteries and Louis Vuitton luggage designed specifically for the Infiniti Essence.
By most accounts, Nissan missed the ball on hybrids. Today, the company has a single hybrid car available to consumers, the Nissan Altima Hybrid, but it’s only offered in eight states. But the company is looking very determined to make up for lost time. This week, Nissan gave journalists a glimpse of how its first dedicated hybrid-specific vehicle might work.
Nissan plans to infuse hybrid technology into their uplevel product line, Infiniti. The idea is to utilize the same strategy Toyota took with their luxury Lexus division. It will allow Infiniti to continue producing high-performance premium automobiles while reducing emissions and increasing fuel economy in comparison to their gas-powered counterparts.
