Nissan to roll out luxury hybrid in FY10

Nissan Motor Co. said it will launch a luxury hybrid car in fiscal year 2010. The hybrid will feature a lithium-ion battery, which will facilitate speedy acceleration and fuel efficiency of perhaps over 16 kilometers per liter. The vehicle will be based on the luxury Fuga sedan, known as the Infinity M in the U.S. The existing models will be overhauled in the second half of 2009 and installed with hybrid components. Furthermore, Nissan earlier announced it would roll out an electric car in Japan and the U.S., also in fiscal 2010. With these two vehicles, Nissan hopes to catch up to Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., its main competitors, in the race for environmentally-friendly cars. (March 22, 2009)