Infiniti M35h Hybrid

That will be a tough call: an Infinity M35 hybrid for $49,000 or a Chevy Volt for $45,000.

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.

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.

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).

to AP:
OK, I'll bite. What on earth causes you to imagine
that the Obama admin would want gas up at $7/gal ?

This is a strange old vehicle without the call being in style. Other models in the Infiniti line up, with the exception of the FX are pretty conservative, but at least more or less passable. It's really a pudding. And supposed to be kind state of theartish hybrid. Afraid you ll have to do much better, Nissan, Infiniti, if you want to be taken seriously in Europe (including Denmark). Guess what it shows is that whatever is in style with the American market in mind, does not translate all that well in Europe, while on the other hand, the Euro-style has a hearing significant in the upscale market in the United States.

Yes Anonymous,

You are missing something:
http://www.hybridcars.com/vehicle/lincoln-mkz-hybrid.html

I believe the government has no incentive to bring us cheap alternative fuels. The united states makes more money through taxation of our gasoline then the petro companies make themselves, this government profit increases as prices go higher so in the desperation of our government to bring in tax revenue this is one of the perfect ways to inflate ther way out of debt. Like hydrogen natural gas is probably the most viable fuel alternative for use in the USA we are like Saudi Arabia in reserves and would be the most logical transition to energy independence ,I believe brazil has a great number of their vehicles Converted or manufactured to take advantage of this cheap alternative but when I think of if well see a network of filling stations popping up across the nation I can only doubt it when governments and petro companies ponder the great losses of revenue this would create .

That's because there aren't very many of them available world wide and the profit margin is greater on a more expensive Lexus. The new Lexus CT hybrid is neat but is too, small with horrible blind spots and poor rear vision blocked by the headrests, but is fun to drive. I found a HS 250h hybrid a month ago and love it. It is much roomier than the CT and is fun to drive. The luxury level of the interior is 100% Lexus , and since it is based on the Prius hybrid I am getting between 37-42 MPGs in the city and around 38 MPG on the highway. You can improve on this with careful driving techniques. The engine is larger than the Prius' and is based on the larger Camry Hybrid engine, with total Horsepower around 185 hp. I paid $37,000 for a HS version loaded with options and don't regret it. I had a deposit on a Prius when I found the Lexus, but the Lexus luxury in a hybrid is what I wanted. It is a much more refined, more comfortable car to drive than a Prius, but if you want 50 MPG, you are limited to a much smaller car, a Prius or Honda Insight. If you can find a Lexus HS250h, go for it. But I am afraid that it may be hard to find after the Earthquake/Tsunami. disaster The Camry hybrid is a good choice for your mother at a lower price, and is very roomy and is easier to find.

Here's the problem when you read the Infinity fine print: The only Infinitys that are AWD are the M37 and the M56. Further, you'd have to go to the V8 equivalent (M56) to get a hybrid, because the M37 is not a hybrid.

It is mind boggling that car manufacturers continue to short change buyers interested in what should by now be common: Hybrid technology + V6 efficiency + AWD. What's so difficult about that?

Reading is my passion. Browsing through your site gives me a lot of knowledge in so many ways. Thank you for the efforts you made in writing and sharing your points of view. Looking forward to learn some more from you. Keep it up.

I own a 2012 Infiniti M35H....STAY AWAY FROM THIS CAR...IT SUCKS, THE ACTUAL GAS MILEAGE IN THE CITY IS 16-18. THE CAR SUCKS MORE GAS THAN MY V-8 MERCEDES.

LIVE AND LEARN, BUT IF I CAN SAVE SOMEONE ELSE THE HARDSHIP I GUESS THAT WORKS OUT.