Nissan Altima Hybrid Set for 2006

Nissans Altima Hybrid Expected to Look Identical to Regular 2007 Altima Sedan

The demand for a green alternative to the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine is becoming increasingly urgent around the world. For jurisdictions that do not have clean diesel fuel, such as North America, the answer is either to own a very small car, such as Toyota Echo, or to buy a hybrid (HEV).

The concept, put into motion by Hondas Insight and Toyotas Prius, combines the environmental friendliness of electric power with the unlimited range of gasoline. While Honda will bring out additional HEV models and Toyota has announced that most of its popular cars, SUVs and trucks will be available with the technology, additional manufacturers such as GM and Ford, as well as Toyotas Lexus nameplate will be getting into the game as well.

The most recent automaker to make the HEV announcement is Nissan, having decided to make a gasoline-electric hybrid from its popular midsize Altima sedan. Rather than taking the route of Honda and Toyota, which chose to go with unique purpose-built HEV vehicles the first time around (you cant get a Civic SiR-powered Insight or a Prius XRS for instance), Nissan has chosen to add an HEV powerplant to a vehicle that is already established. Like the Ford Escape Hybrid or RX 400h, the Altima is based on a best-selling, popular car, giving buyers merely another option on a list of engines and powertrains.

By the time the Altima Hybrid hits the market in 2006 as a 2007 model, announced recently at San Francisco Nissan event, rival and HEV parts supplier Toyota will most likely have its Camry hybrid on the market, while no doubt competition from the big three will also enter the fray.

In case you didnt hear that right, in an odd but mutually beneficial agreement Toyota is supplying Nissan with its sophisticated hybrid gasoline-electric system. The Altima Hybrid will make use of a Nissan-built four-cylinder gasoline engine as its main source of power, mind you.

To those on the outside of the industry peeking in, such cooperation between Toyota and Nissan might come as a bit of a shock, but to those with their ears to the ground (and regular readers of this automotive news column) it wont be as the two Japanese companies made a deal in September of 2002 where Nissan would get Toyota HEV technology to produce 100,000 hybrid vehicles over the course of five years. Components made by Toyota that will be used by the Altima Hybrid include the transmission, inverter, battery, and control units. Note that the product itself is built by Nissan at its facilities.

The benefits that hybrid technology offers Nissans midsize sedan are quite numerous and positive of course. For a relatively small premium over the price of a base Altima, theres a lot to be gained in both performance and efficiency. Such is not always the case with HEVs optimized purely for fuel economy, but the Altima Hybrid will use the base-equipment four-cylinder engine as the primary power source with the electric motor added to gain extra torque off the line. Meanwhile, in stop-and-go and low-speed traffic the electric motor will often take charge over the gasoline motor allowing the Altima to run silently and resultantly consume less gas and cut back on greenhouse gas emissions.

Incidentally, this is the sign of a full-hybrid drivetrain. Honda designed their hybrid Insight and Civic as partial hybrid systems, which means when the car is driving, or the air conditioning system is in operation, the gasoline engine must be working. Partial hybrids only shut off when the car is motionless.

Although no horsepower or torque ratings for the Altima Hybrid have been disclosed as of yet, nor photos for that matter, the gain in performance is expected to be likened to driving a V6-powered Altima, with the benefit of 4-cylinder fuel savings of course. The Altima should be fun to drive, accommodating to passengers and cargo, clean to the environment and extremely efficient on readily depleting natural resources. Whats more, it is expected to appear almost identical to a regular gasoline-powered Altima. Nissan made no comment on what that regular Altima will look like by model year 2007, as an update is expected close to this time.

2006 Nissan Sentra - $11,995
El Cajon, CA 92020

2006 Nissan Pathfinder - $17,998
New Rochelle, NY 10801

2006 Nissan Altima - $15,999
Salt Lake City, UT 84107