(NaturalNews) With gas-guzzling vehicles being intensely focused on by consumers in this age of high gasoline prices, just a few automakers have responded to the demand for hybrid cars and trucks. Now Nissan is responding to that demand with a new hybrid version of the popular Altima.
The 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid was unveiled in North America this week at the Orange County Auto Show in Anaheim, California. The automaker had taken a dim view of hybrids until recently. But, like domestic automakers like Ford and GM, it has watched Toyota’s hybrid successes with the Prius model and others.
Adding Toyota parts and licensing hybrid technology from Toyota for the new Altima hybrid was an admission by Nissan that the automaker couldn't stay away from the hybrid landscape that continues to see consumer popularity. While Nissan is probably not overly enthused about licensing technology from larger rival Toyota, the company at least realized that it needed to put a hybrid vehicle in the marketplace before other automakers, and it needed Toyota’s help to make that goal a reality.
The new Nissan Altima hybrid uses the automaker’s 2.5 liter, 4-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission, and matches it to an electric motor and generator system -- hence, the gas/electric hybrid concept. But there is little to no loss of power for those drivers who need speed and horsepower. The Nissan Altima Hybrid is rated at 170 horsepower, and the standard fuel economy for the vehicle is estimated at 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, according to Nissan. The Altima Hybrid's emissions are low enough to classify it as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle as well.
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