Nissan rejects hybrid-only models

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08 August 2008 at 11:50

Car manufacturer Nissan has announced that its 'green' strategy will focus on electric vehicles rather than going down the hybrid route pioneered by the firm.

The company's executive vice president in charge of research and development, Mitsuhiko Yamashita, said its hybrid system would probably be incorporated into a conventional car, such as the Nissan Z, as hybrids are likely to become so commonplace that they will no longer be seen as green status symbols.

"There may be no point in waving the hybrid flag at this point," he said. "Hybrids may not be all that special."

Nissan recently unveiled a prototype electric vehicle with batteries twice as powerful as conventional technology. It aims to put the car on the market in the US and Japan in 2010 and the rest of the world in 2012. The company also revealed a prototype hybrid in the form of the luxury Infiniti G35, known as the Skyline in Japan.

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