Nissan To Build Hybrid Altima In Tennessee Starting In 2006

[hatrack]

"Nissan Motor Co. said Friday that it would build its first gas-electric hybrid passenger vehicle, an Altima sedan, at its Smyrna, Tenn., manufacturing plant next year.

The hybrid Altima will use technology developed by Toyota Motor Co. to mate an electric drive system to a four-cylinder, Nissan-built gasoline engine. The hybrid's electric system is expected to give the car better fuel economy than a conventional four-cylinder Altima but with the performance of a six-cylinder gas-powered model.

It will be the third hybrid built in the U.S. — Ford Motor Co. already builds the Escape sport utility vehicle hybrid — and Toyota recently announced that it would build a hybrid Camry sedan in the U.S. beginning next year.

EDIT

Nissan's contract with Toyota for hybrid components limits it to a maximum of 50,000 units a year. Nissan isn't expected to dramatically restyle the hybrid version of the Altima, and that could affect sales."

EDIT

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-nissan18jun18,1,316176.story?coll=la-headlines-business

[fudge stripe cookays]

1. Makes me proud of my birthplace.

Although I know nothing about it otherwise.

FSC and Nissan. Both products of Smyrna, TN

[Coastie for Truth]

2. GM has the same licensing deal with Toyota

and "and Toyota recently announced that it would build a hybrid Camry sedan in the U.S. beginning next year" is the trigger - so GM can put it logo on a fraction of the hybrid Camry's (Corolla/Prizm, Matrix/Vibe). Let's see what GM does? Duh? (Probably nothing).