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2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid to Come with Double Mileage

The brand’s first hybrid in the entire history, the hybrid Infinity M35 scheduled for introduction in spring 2011, will come with a nearly doubled mileage. Nissan representatives said to Autonews the company aims to achieve these performances thanks to the one-motor, two-clutch system, as well as to the use of a lithium-ion battery instead of nickel-metal hydride.

"Typically, carmakers say the fuel economy improvement on their cars using a 'strong' or 'full' hybrid system is roughly 30 percent, while for 'mild' hybrids (like Honda's), it's 15 percent,"
said Koichi Hayasaki, chief engineer of Nissan's rear-wheel-drive hybrid system.

"We're aiming for an improvement of 60 to 90 percent,"
he continued telling to the aforementioned source, adding that the hybrid Infiniti M would have mileage comparable to that of a compact car.

The new electronic controls enable the engine to idle more often and tests conducted so far have shown that the engine was stopped about half the time in city driving.

At the same time, Nissan plans on keeping the cost down by using fewer components than Toyota's series parallel system.

The hybrid system on the upcoming M35 Hybrid consists of a single electric-motor/twin-clutch arrangement, mated to a naturally aspirated 3.5L V6. The first-clutch is installed between the V6 engine and the electric motor, which Infiniti says allows for a more responsive drive. The vehicle will also have the ability to run solely on electric-power under certain driving conditions.

Official figures, as well as pricing details are to be revealed closer to the market launch.
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