Infiniti M35 Hybrid
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In October 2009, Nissan announced that it will produce a hybrid gas-electric version of its Infiniti M luxury performance sedan, to go on sale in Europe in 2011. It will likely be sold in the United States as well, although no date has been set for North American distribution. The Infiniti M35 Hybrid represents the brand's first hybrid—and provides one more example of the curious relationship between luxury and hybrid vehicles.
Nissan unveiled the Infiniti M35 Hybrid at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in early March.
Nissan’s leadership has repeatedly made the argument that hybrids are not the answer to the environmental challenges facing the automobile industry—and that only pure all-electric cars represent the necessary shift to oil- and emissions-free motoring. The company’s small all-electric Nissan Leaf will debut in late 2010.
However, the use of a gas and electric power combo is apparently Nissan’s solution for luxury buyers unwilling to sacrifice horsepower and high-end features, but no longer wanting to guzzle gas. As Infiniti’s press release states, “The M35 Hybrid has been designed and engineered to add to, not take away from, the driving experience, a key part of any Infiniti's appeal.” [Subtext: Most hybrids take away from the driving experience.]
Technology Innovation
The M35 Hybrid’s engine, borrowed from the conventional M sedan, is a 3.5-liter V6, with the addition of a 68 horsepower electric motor and hybrid drive system. The Infiniti M35 hybrid uses a front-engine rear-wheel-drive approach—with a one motor-two clutch system. The first clutch is installed between the engine and the electric motor. This clutch allows the full decoupling of the V6 when running in electric modes—in order to reduce mechanical drag and boost the efficiency of the electric motor.
According to Infiniti, the M35 Hybrid is “electrically powered for more of the time, and at higher speeds, than conventional hybrids.” The hybrid system, which the automaker calls the “Infiniti Direct Response Hybrid,” has the electric motor built into a 7-speed automatic transmission—eliminating the need for a torque converter and thus providing a sportier drive. The company says the electric motor helps drive the wheels up to 60 miles per hour, and engages during as much as 50 percent of driving time. In terms of looks, the car matches up to the standard M35 and M37.
Green As Luxury
The luxury segment is quickly filling up with V6 hybrid sedans, such as the Lexus GS 450h and the Mercedes S400 Hybrid. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler, explained, “I am convinced that many customers continue to want a comfortable and spacious car. [But] they would not like to be called callous by their neighbor because the fuel consumption is astronomic.” A hybrid version of the Audi A8 luxury sedan, unveiled in concept form at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, is also in the works.
The Infiniti M35 Hybrid further establishes this newly emerging category of slightly greener luxury. In other words, green is a competitive advantage for discerning luxury buyers willing to pay the premium—and Nissan doesn’t want to be left behind. Expect an increasing number of luxury vehicles to come with a hybrid option—even from Porsche, Ferrari, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin, which have all announced hybrids in the works. The one exception in the hybrid luxury field is the 34-mpg Lexus HS250h, which shows some restraint by using a four-cylinder engine. Admittedly, the HS 250h is at the lower end of the luxury price range.
Sure, luxury buyers could find other models to deliver more mileage while maintaining the same level of space, reliability and horsepower that luxury brands offer. But many well-heeled shoppers want the whole pie: an entire luxury package from a recognized luxury brand. Now it comes with a cherry on top: an electric motor and lithium ion battery pack.
Pricing, mpg and other details are not yet available. The base MSRP for the 2010 conventional M35 is $45,800. The M35 Hybrid should be priced just below $50,000 and will likely qualify for a tax incentive of about $1,000.
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n/a MPG n/a L/100km
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BODY TYPE:
Sedan
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TECHNOLOGY:
Hybrid
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BASE MSRP:
n/a
46 weeks ago
That will be a tough call: an Infinity M35 hybrid for $49,000 or a Chevy Volt for $45,000.
46 weeks ago
I wonder if this is the borrowed hybrid technology from Toyota. With clean and super quiet highly efficient diesels, the diesel/electric hybrid is the only way to go with larger vehicles. Otherwise, manufacturers are stuck trying to create a V6/electric hybrid that can get the fuel efficiency of a 4 cylinder, and the power of a V8.
A Hybrid car is the perfect delivery point for the new quiet diesel engines, that consumer is looking to have the need for fuel economy met. Trying to offer a base diesel luxury car won't really work either, since there is not enough 'incentive'. But 'Hybrid' adds that. Combining the highest fuel efficient type engine with electric power seems like a no brainer. I
I also think that this obvious 'miscalculation' of what the public wants, is just another way to discourage and slow down the move to full electric cars, and maintain the status quo as long as possible.
46 weeks ago
There is no problem providing the power of a V8 with a hybrid, just drop in a bigger electric traction motor. Something akin to the 200 kw motor Raser put in the Hummer SUV. A energy storage of about 12 kwh, would provide enough buffer to allow a small range extender/steady state drive engine to sustain the battery charge over time. And you could go about 20 miles in charge depleting mode, prior to using any gas at all. For example, imagine a Volt with a 200 kw motor, rather than a 110 kw motor. And with a wireless charging system in your garage, that would automatically recharge your car when the rates are lowest, you would fit right in with the greenies without sacrificing anything except some of your hard earned money.
46 weeks ago
Why not just sell us a four-cylinder G20?
Small luxury cars are cool
I'd also like to see the Canadian Acura CSX and Mercedes B-Class sold down here.
46 weeks ago
to alancamp:
Unlike the Nissan Altima Hybrid which uses the licensed Hybrid Synergy Drive from Toyota (the exact same T-110 HSD transaxle as the Camry Hybrid, as a matter of fact, built by Aisin Seiki), Nissan will be putting their own in-house-developed hybrid system in the M35.
The Toyota HSD transaxle uses one planetary gearset to mesh together the gasoline engine and two electric motors-- Very ingenious, and very simple. No torque converter, no clutches, no CVT belts, no gear-shifting wear-and-tear.
The M35 Hybrid's system is more complicated. It sandwiches an electric motor between the engine and a multispeed transmission and fluid-coupling torque converter like in a regular car like Honda's IMA system, but it also incorporates two clutches to engage and disengage the electric motor so that the car can be run on electric alone at lower speeds.
I don't like the complexity of that IMA-type system. The Toyota HSD system is far less complex, with just 22 moving parts, compared to a regular-car automatic drivetrain with 100+ moving parts plus the added clutches for the electric motor.
Given a choice between the M35 Hybrid and the HSD-powered Nissan Altima Hybrid, I think I'd rather take the Altima Hybrid.
46 weeks ago
You would think if there's a real market for luxury hybrids that Ford would come out with a Lincoln-badged version of Fusion/Milan hybrid, I would think it would be the most efficient luxury hybrid as the Fusion has better fuel econ than the HS250, unless the extra weight of the luxury "bling" would bring it down significantly, am I missing something here?
46 weeks ago
You've hit on it-- The luxury hybrid market isn't that big.
Lexus does not sell very many hybrids.. Their hybrids account for something like 2-3% of their total sales. In the 2010 model year, Lexus expects to sell only about 20,000 HS250h's, worldwide. The only other hybrid in Lexus's lineup that had any significant sales is the RX400h. The LS600h and the GS450h both are not big sellers.
The only other carmaker that has luxury hybrids for sale is General Motors with their Escalade Hybrid, and it had a hard time reaching 4 figures in total numbers sold for the whole year of 2009.
Mercedes and BMW have their luxury hybrids in the works all this time (the Mercedes S400 Bluehybrid, and the BMW X6 ActiveHybrid), but I don't think they have hit the market yet (and they don't expect to sell more than a few thousand of each, worldwide).
That is probably why Ford limited their "luxury" hybrid line to just the Mercury Mountaineer Hybrid and the Mercury Milan Hybrid, and Honda isn't touching the luxury hybrid market with a 10-foot pole, especially after the disaster that is their quasi-luxury Accord Hybrid (so no Honda-IMA-powered Acura hybrids for the foreseeable future).
25 weeks ago
alancamp, the reasons you see few, if any, diesel hybrids are three-fold.
First, diesel engines are expensive compared to gasoline engines. Add that to an expensive hybrid powertrain, battery, and power-invertor-module, and you have little chance of making up the extra cost in fuel savings.
Second, diesel engines are heavy; heavier yet when you add the sound-deadening to make the modern "quiet diesel." Add that to the already heavy hybrid system, and you end up with a pig.
Third, hybrid systems don't complement diesel engines well. Diesels are efficient at idle, so the ability to shut the engine off at idle isn't much of a benefit. Gasoline engines are inefficient there, so the hybrid helps.
So while diesels may make sense, and hybrids may make sense, diesels and hybrids don't make sense together - unless fuel gets to $7/gallon, as the Obama administration would like to achieve.
25 weeks ago
to AP:
OK, I'll bite. What on earth causes you to imagine
that the Obama admin would want gas up at $7/gal ?
25 weeks ago
If you follow the logic of Cap & Trade, carbon-based fuel will become very expensive. Obama himself said that utility rates would "necessarily skyrocket," for example.
The $7/gallon figure is from a recent Harvard study done to find out how high gas prices would have to go in order to meet Obama's greenhouse gas goals. Since they are huge cuts, the $7/gallon figure may be about what's necessary.
I agree that fuel prices need to go up, to perhaps $4-$5/gallon, in order to make fuel-efficient cars viable. I just think the government should reduce other taxes to keep it revenue-neutral. Obama would rather have the government take more money.
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