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 Versa | 28 MPG | Small Car | $13,600 | 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 city car. |
 | Nissan Cube | 29 MPG | Small Car | $14,000 | Now | A whimsical and quirky option in the small economy class. |
 | Nissan Altima Hybrid | 34 MPG | Hybrid | $26,800 | Now | The Altima Hybrid is basically a Toyota hybrid wrapped in Nissan’s attractive packaging. |
 | Nissan Leaf | n/a | Electric | n/a | 2010 | The top contender for first affordable mainstream all-electric car. |
Top news for Nissan
Nissan Looks Beyond Its First Electric Car- Nissan released an image yesterday of a light commercial electric vehicle concept. It’s just a sketch, but the drawing signals that Nissan is moving forward with plans to build an entire electric vehicle program—rather than focusing on a single vehicle.
Urban Networked Electric Cars Coming to Tokyo Show- The theme of the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show 2009 is “Fun Driving for Us, Eco Driving for Earth.” So, it’s no surprise that Japan’s biggest automakers will be rolling out their funkiest electric cars—vehicles that can lean, download files from home, and carry smaller electric unicycles. The show opens to the public on Oct. 24.
Nissan Considers Battery-Leasing for Electric Cars- For the past few months, Nissan-Renault has been tiptoeing around the idea of leasing the battery packs that power its upcoming electric cars. The goal is to assuage consumer worries about getting stung with the high cost of replacing an electric car battery if it fails or loses too much capability over the course of years. Nissan has not confirmed details, but recent comments from executives show that the company is seriously considering the idea.
Hybrid and Electric Cars Will Emit Vroomtones- After years of complaints from blind pedestrians that ultra-quiet hybrid cars pose a safety threat, the auto industry is responding by producing on-board devices that emit sounds, such as jet engines, boings, or human voice saying, “Excuse me.” One day, electric car and hybrid drivers might download “vroomtones” for their cars, the way they download ringtones for cell phones today.
European Carmakers Embrace Plug-in Cars- The growing list of part- or pure-electric cars to be displayed at next week’s Frankfurt Auto Show establishes a new litmus test for green cars at auto shows: Cars without plugs are behind the times.
Automakers Race to Design Car-to-Grid Communications- Major car companies are working on ways that plug-in cars will communicate with the electric grid. Ford, Nissan and Volvo have displayed their visions. We spoke with Greg Frenette, Ford manager of battery electric vehicle applications, to learn which driver controls are essential and feasible—and which charging technologies are more fantasy than reality.
Next Wave of Japanese Hybrids Heading to US- The number of hybrid gas-electric vehicles offered by Japanese car companies will multiply in the next few years. That’s evidenced by a list of upcoming hybrids reported by the trade publication Automotive News this week—providing a plausible scenario for specific hybrid models coming to the United States around 2011.
The Chevy Volt’s 230 MPG Rating. What Does It Mean? - General Motors announced Tuesday that the Chevy Volt could get a government in-city fuel economy rating of “230 miles per gallon.” While the potential for a three-digit mpg rating is grabbing headlines, figuring out what it means is another matter. What's the significance of MPG in a vehicle which seldom or never uses gallons of liquid fuel?
Blogosphere Responds to Nissan’s Electric Car- No longer an amorphous concept, Nissan’s electric car can now be stacked up against other hybrids and plug-in cars for its look and feel, features, and likely cost. The reviews from the blogosphere—usually an irreverant crowd—were mixed.
First Photos and Video of All-Electric Nissan Leaf- After months of anticipation, Nissan today unveiled the Nissan Leaf, a medium-size all-electric hatchback that seats five adults and has a range of 100 miles. Check out first photos and video.