As reported by AutoWeek.

Once upon a time, hybrid cars were boring. But as we move deeper into the 21st century, automakers are realizing the potential hybrid vehicle drivetrains represent. As previously reported, Nissan is working on a hybrid drivetrain paired with a supercharged engine. Now comes word that this system will make its debut in the 2014 Infiniti JX crossover.

This system is reportedly an upgrade to the current hybrid system used in the powerful Infiniti M35h rear-wheel drive sedan, but will be modified for use in front-drive applications. But while the M35h has a 3.5 liter V6 engine, the new system will use a single electric motor setup with a 2.5 liter supercharged four-cylinder engine. This will allow for more power, but less fuel consumption.

Nissan’s decision to forgo turbochargers in favor of a supercharger is an interesting one. While turbos are powered by exhaust gases, and sales of turbocharged vehicles could triple by 2017, superchargers run directly off of the crankshaft, allowing for more immediate delivery of low-end torque.

The M35h currently makes a combined output of 360 horsepower between its V6 engine and electric motor, and Nissan engineers are probably hoping for at least 300 horsepower combined from this new supercharged setup. Honda tuner Mugen recently put a supercharger to work on the Honda CR-Z hybrid with powerful results, so the performance potential is definitely there.

Nissan hasn’t been as keen on hybrid vehicles as other automakers, betting instead on pure electric vehicles. But that bet so far hasn’t paid off, perhaps leading the Japanese automaker to re-evaluate their game plan. Personally, I love the idea of a supercharged hybrid setup, and it could even be used in the next Nissan Z car, which is rumored to be smaller, lighter, and more fuel-efficient than the current V6-powered 370Z.

Is this the first wave of forced-induction hybrid vehicles? Will other automakers hop on board? This writer certainly hopes so. We’re at a point where hybrid cars shouldn’t be boring anymore. Once more drivers realize the potential for fun and excitement in hybrid vehicles, I believe we’ll see the market for hybrids really take off.

Source: AutoWeek

Nissan Motor Co. is developing a supercharged hybrid powertrain likely to arrive in 2014 in the Infiniti JX crossover.

This configuration advances the system used in the rear-wheel-drive Infiniti M35h Hybrid but has been revised for use on the front- and all-wheel-drive JX. The next-generation powertrain runs a supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that works with a lithium-ion battery pack and continuously variable transmission.

It could be run as a traditional gasoline-electric hybrid or as a plug-in setup. Though the JX is expected to get the system, it could be used on a range of vehicles from crossovers or compact cars.

Nissan engineers declined to reveal specifications for the power and electric capabilities, as the system is still being evaluated. It uses one motor and two clutches. Regenerative power comes from the brakes and during deceleration of the CVT.

By comparison, the Infiniti M35h Hybrid, which launched in 2011, runs a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 that works with an electric motor for a net output of 360 hp, producing power equivalent to a V8 engine.

We briefly sampled the next-generation hybrid system in a JX on Nissan's road course test circuit in Oppama, Japan. The strong supercharged four-cylinder has plenty of juice--the combination of forced induction with the electric assist makes for an enjoyable drive. It gives the luxury crossover a different kind of energy than exhibited in the conventionally-powered machine, which runs a 265-hp V6.

Meanwhile, Nissan has also developed a version of the front-wheel hybrid configuration for use with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter engine with direct injection.


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As reported by Motor Authority

If you want to buy a hybrid automobile from luxury manufacturer Infiniti today, your only option is the performance-oriented M35h.

The big sedan can reel off a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds (on par with the range-topping M56), yet it's still rated at 27 mpg around town and 32 mpg on the highway. While those are impressive numbers, the M35h isn’t the right choice for every buyer.

To expand its hybrid product range, Infiniti is looking beyond the M35h’s normally-aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 and electric motor combination toward a new powertrain for an upcoming JX Hybrid crossover.

Its goal is a setup that will provide a bit less thrust and a bit more fuel economy, which it demonstrated at a Nissan Advanced Technical Briefing held today at the company's GranDrive facility in Oppama, Japan.

The company let journalists drive a prototype Infiniti JX crossover fitted with a supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, paired with the same 50-kilowatt (67-hp) electric motor as in the M35h, but driving through the company's new continuously variable transmission (CVT) for larger vehicles.

While executives wouldn't confirm that an Infiniti JX Hybrid is imminent, it's a foregone conclusion given that journalists were asked for their input on the car.

The drivetrain can easily be adapted to mechanical all-wheel drive via a takeoff designed into the new CVT, Nissan engineers pointed out--unlike the optional all-wheel drive system in the competing Lexus RX 450h, which uses an electric motor to power the rear axle.

The new Infiniti hybrid system could also be built as a plug-in hybrid, to give Infiniti another plug-in car along with its upcoming LE all-electric sedan.

As the system is still under development, Nissan didn’t provide numbers on combined output or fuel economy.

But the JX Hybrid prototype produced plenty of thrust, and development engineers said the fuel economy was expected to run about 20 percent higher than the 3.5-liter V-6 and CVT combination fitted to the current 2013 Infiniti JX that went on sale earlier this year.

One potential drawback may be the JX Hybrid prototype's almost complete lack of all-electric running. It proved impossible to accelerate at any speed without the engine switching on, whereas the RX 450h hybrid can move itself around town, under light loads, electrically.

Questioned about this, Infiniti engineers said that M35h owners valued its "electric gliding" at freeway speeds, when the engine switches off under light loads and the electric motor propels the car until load increases.

Assuming the Infiniti JX Hybrid reaches the market, the question will become: What do suburban moms--whose friends may already drive an RX hybrid--expect from a hybrid crossover? Is it simply higher fuel economy, or does it also include some degree of electric running?

Since it’s been designed for front- and all-wheel drive applications, it’s unlikely the JX Hybrid drivetrain will appear in the upcoming G35h (rumored to be among the next-generation G sedans).

Until we hear otherwise, our best guess still has that car getting a detuned version of the M35h’s hybrid drivetrain.

They supercharged the QR?