The current low pump price of gasoline in the US might have claimed its first victim: the Murano Hybrid. Nissan North America, having formerly said this model was on the way, has given just-auto.com a cryptic answer to a direct question about the car’s release date.
A spokesman for NNA, responding to an emailed question enquiring if the Murano Hybrid had been cancelled or delayed until 2015, would only say, “Possibilities remain for hybrid in future”.
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Nissan stated at the New York auto show in March 2013 that the then next generation Murano, scheduled for North America’s 2015 model year, would include a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. There has not been a word about such a powertrain in this vehicle since.
The new Murano was revealed at the New York auto show in April but nothing was said about a hybrid. Earlier this week, the first cars rolled off the line in Canton, with a 260hp 3.5-litre V6 the only engine. The Mississippi plant is now the global production hub for the new-shape vehicle.
Nissan stated in January 2013 that it would end Murano production in Japan and build the replacement in the southern US. This decision was taken in a bid to neutralise exchange rate volatility for the model, particularly as the dollar was sinking against the yen at that time. The US has always been this crossover’s largest market.
It was presumed that the Murano Hybrid would be the powered by the same combination of a supercharged 2.5-litre gasoline engine and 15kW electric motor as the Pathfinder Hybrid. This SUV is made at Smyrna, Tennessee, as well as in Russia (St Petersburg).
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By GlobalDataThis is not the first time that Nissan North America would have axed a petrol-electric model. The Altima Hybrid, a would-be challenger for the Camry and Accord was discontinued at the end of the 2011 model year. It had been offered in eight US states and parts of Canada but sales were disappointing. When the next generation 2013MY Altima appeared in 2012, there was no hybrid, nor has one been added since.
TMS USA, while claiming its 20,498 combined Toyota and Lexus models accounted for 65% of US industry hybrid vehicle sales in October, nonetheless does not break out sales number for its models by gasoline and hybrid. It also bundles registrations for the Prius, Prius PHEV, Prius c and Prius v into one model name: Prius (these were down 13.5% to 13,511 last month). No monthly total is ever issued for the Highlander Hybrid, the main rival for any potential Nissan Murano Hybrid.
