Nissan begs Toyota for a handout.....

Nissan first had to wait for Honda's VTEC patent to run out before it decided to give it's 2008 G37 "VVEL" on both cams. Previous cars before that only had it on the exhaust side.

While Honda had the Technology way back in what? 1989? LOL! This is no surprise. Because my 2006 G35 has a "Push button" Navigation while the 2002, Honda Accord has a touch screen Navigation. Nissan BARELY went touch screen in 2007. 

Honda and Toyota are both moving forward while Nissan is barely catching up. And how are they catching up? They are begging Mercedes Ben for their motor to use on future Nissan / Infiniti Vehicles, and now they're begging Toyota to see if they can use their Hybrid Technology in their vehicles.

The only thing Nissan has going for them is the Skyline GTR. But that's just a butt ugly ricer with a turbo slapped onto it. Wow it goes fast! Yeah, and a 1989 CRX with Twin Turbo can hit low 7's on the 1/4. And that won't cost as much as a 80k GT-Ricer.

2012 Infiniti M Hybrid First Drive

It took a while, but with the 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid, Nissan is entering the hybrid fray on its own terms. Yes, Nissan currently produces the Altima Hybrid, but the company licensed that car's hybrid system from competitor Toyota, a move that certainly involved tucked tails, hats in hands and some pride-filled esophagi.


Electric-Only or Blended Operation
Nissan's first in-house hybrid system is a clever evolution of familiar powertrain hardware. It can propel the big rear-drive luxury sedan solely on battery power, with the engine only or some combination of the two. Unlike with Toyota's hybrid system, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) is not used, nor is a second electric motor. In this respect, Nissan's hybrid system is more reminiscent of Hyundai's hybrid drivetrain.

Read the entire article here:  InsideLine