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.
The 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid has been officially approved by the IRS as a qualified hybrid vehicle for the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit. Buyers of the car may now be eligible for a tax credit up to $2,350, the same amount offered for the 2007 model of the car. The renewal of the Altima tax credit gives Nissan’s hybrid an advantage over its closest competitor, the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Toyota hybrids are no longer eligible for any tax credit.
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. Nissan Engineers are still currently developing their in-house system and estimate that it will be ready for implementation around 2010, at which time it will debut in the Infiniti brand.
