Fuel-Efficient Nissan Cars
Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan, unveiled the company’s five-year business plan in May 2008. The plan—called “Nissan GT 2012” with the G and T signifying growth and trust—puts a major emphasis on electric vehicles. Hybrid and EV fans responded with a chant in unison: “Bring it on.” But green car enthusiasts also engaged their well-worn vaporware alert systems to detect false promises, improbable plans, and insincerity.
For the past few years, Ghosn has consistently called gas-electric hybrids “niche products” and “not a good business story.” He has apparently experienced a dramatic conversion from hard-nosed businessman to electric car preacher. Many of the headlines about Nissan’s electric car plans mentioned 2010 as the target date—but that date is for fleet testing. A more careful reading puts retail sales of Nissan EVs at 2012, at the earliest.
An exclusive HybridCars.com interview with Mark Perry, Nissan's director of product planning. Perry talked about the company's design approach for electric vehicles, production capacity for batteries, and why all-electric cars are better than plug-in hybrids.
In the meantime, the Nissan Altima Hybrid, available in only eight states, remains the company’s only hybrid—while the Nissan Versa is the company’s hot little high-mpg offering.
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Nissan Fuel Efficient Vehicles
| Sort by: | Name | Combined MPG  | Technology | MSRP | Available | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Nissan Leaf | 99 MPG | Electric | $32,800 | Now | The top contender for first affordable mainstream all-electric car. |
 | Nissan Versa | 30 MPG | Small Car | $16,600 | Now | Offered in two body styles, a sporty 5-door hatchback and a 4-door sedan, the Versa is the largest and most powerful entry-level compact car. |
 | Nissan Sentra | 30 MPG | Small Car | $15,800 | Now | Competitively priced small car with nifty interior features and competent road manners |
 | Nissan Altima Hybrid | 34 MPG | Hybrid | $26,800 | Discntd. | The Altima Hybrid is basically a Toyota hybrid wrapped in Nissan’s attractive packaging. |
Top news for Nissan
Nissan's Green Green Car Carrier Nichioh Maru - So, do you think you a lot about cars? What do you know about the monster car carriers that bring an imported car? As far as I am concerned, I knew nothing when I arrived this morning at Nissan’s dock in Oppama, where Japan’s second largest car company showed off a 2012 model car carrier, the Nichioh Maru. And would you believe that the blue and white monster is green?
Nissan to Revive Altima Hybrid For 2014- Last summer, Nissan announced that the hybrid version of its popular Altima sedan would be discontinued. This week, the carmaker confirmed that it would be bringing the car back for 2014 with an all-new Nissan-designed gas engine, electric motor, and continuously variable transmission.
Electric Car Post-Crash-Test Fire Prompts Federal Investigation - A Chevrolet Volt that was side-impact tested for the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and caught fire three weeks later has prompted the same agency to begin investigating lithium-ion batteries from all makers. The second Volt now known to have been involved in a fire in early June after the 20-mph impact did not make the press five months ago, and might have gone unreported if not for the investigation just begun. NHTSA's full revelation was reported last week, and details included that the fire might have been prevented if it had known to implement GM’s post-crash protocols. In a statement, NHTSA did not raise undue alarm.
Nissan Announces it Will Lead as Green Automaker- While some auto industry stakeholders have objected to stringent proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy mandates, Nissan has taken the opposite stance with its Green Program 2016. Yesterday the Japanese automaker announced it will outdo every competitor in its environmental initiatives including sales of 1.5 million zero emissions vehicles by the end of fiscal 2016. As of the end of September Nissan had sold about 16,000 Leafs, so predictions along with Renault to multiply this one-hundredfold in six years could be seen as ambitious to say the least. Nonetheless, the company has pledged 70 percent of its annual research and development budget toward environmental technologies to make it so.
Renault-Nissan has invested $5.6 billion in EVs thus far- As advanced-tech vehicle followers know, some pundits have questioned just how successful electric vehicles will be in coming years, but Nissan is squarely in the opposite camp. This week Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn disclosed the company has thus far invested $5.6 billion (4 billion Euros) in the nascent technology, and has more left where that came from. "We have already invested EUR4 billion, and we will be above that as we have development still to do," Ghosn told Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of a meeting organized by the French industry minister with local vehicle manufacturers and equipment suppliers.
Hybrids, Plug-ins to Emphasize Emergency Power Potential- In the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake, stories began to emerge of hybrid vehicle owners using their cars to power appliances and cook food when power was cut off for hours or even days at a time. Now, several manufacturers are reportedly working to add electrical output capacity to their hybrid and plug-in and vehicles.
Nissan to build 'Chinese' plug-in car in China for 2015- Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn announced today that the company will build an all-electric vehicle in China for the Chinese market with its joint venture partner Nissan-Dongfeng. The plug-in is due by 2015 and will share many components from Nissan’s LEAF, but will be an entirely new “Chinese” vehicle selling under the Venucia brand name.
Nissan prepares for more LEAF sales, US manufacturing- This week Nissan said it would start producing the all-electric LEAF’s traction motor in the U.S. beginning early 2013, even as the company prepares to roll out improved 2012 LEAFs to a broader market later this year. A few days ago we reported Nissan will add cold weather accommodations to 2012s based on consumer feedback. The company now says it will make DC fast charging capability standard on all 2012 LEAF SL models, and this decision is also based on initial owner ordering preferences and feedback. On July 25 Nissan will begin taking orders from consumers with existing reservations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Nissan To Improve 2012, 2013 LEAFs- Unless they are kept in warm climates, leaves tend to wither in the cold. Although this is a truism in nature, it took a cold season in America for Nissan to quietly show it has learned this lesson applies also to its electric car known as the LEAF. Specifically, Nissan recently announced changes to its pending 2012 as well as 2013 LEAF models that will include more heat for the occupants, and perhaps more importantly, for the battery.
Nissan Reported to Be Retooling Discontinued Altima Hybrid for 2013 Release- AutoNews reports that Nissan may be planning to reintroduce the Altima Hybrid as early as next year—this time with a hybrid powertrain that was developed in-house.