From what we can tell here at LotPro.com, Nissan isn’t playing the hybrid game like its two Japanese rivals, Honda and Toyota. Where both those brands are major players, Nissan has yet to join in on much of the fun. Even now, Nissan seems in no hurry to expand its offerings which have been, to say the least, paltry.

The Altima Hybrid, Nissan’s only entry to date, was introduced in 2007 and auto buffs will be forgiven if they are unfamiliar with the model, since it is available in only 8 states (California, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine and New Jersey).

Earlier this year, Nissan announced that it would be producing the Nissan Leaf, a hybrid vehicle a bit larger than the Versa, for the 2011 model year.

Today, the company made it known that its Infiniti brand would join in the hybrid endeavor with the 2012 M35 hybrid.

2012 M35 Hybrid

Calling its latest vehicle “the cleanest and most economical car in Infiniti’s history”, the brand’s latest hybrid system will diverge from that found on the Altima in that it will be engineered and developed by Nissan (the current Altima uses a system licensed from Toyota).

Using a single electric motor and twin clutch arrangement with the first clutch installed between the engine (the company’s 3.5-liter V-6) and the electric motor, the setup will, according to Nissan, result in a more consistent driving “feel” between the various operating modes as well as improved “linear performance”.

As a pure hybrid, the M35 will be able to operate in all-electric mode (no figures have been given as to its all-electric range), “power assist” mode (for maximum acceleration) and gas-only mode with the electric motor acting both as a propulsion unit and as a generator for the new “laminated” lithium-ion battery pack.

Coming to an Infiniti dealer near you

The new 2010 Infiniti M35 is due to hit dealer showrooms in the spring of 2010, while the hybrid version will appear as a 2012 model a year later.

Images courtesy of Nissan

2009 Nissan Cube

Even Detroit’s auto show can’t catch a break

Things are tough in Detroit – no question about it. Just ask the organizers of the North American International Auto Show. Porsche, a brand that wasn’t there last year, made the decision to skip the show again this year. Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari felt the Detroit market was too small for their brands and backed out and both Mitsubishi and Suzuki took a pass as well. Then just last week, Nissan (along with premium brand Infiniti) announced that it was pulling the plug on both Detroit and Chicago.

At least with Nissan, the NAIAS had the consolation of knowing that it was not alone. But just as quickly, it now appears that Nissan will return to the Windy City.

2009 Nissan 370Z

Back in the game

Nissan Vice President of Corporate Communications, Alan Buddendeck, explained Nissan’s original position by stating that the company had already reached its intended audience at the unveiling of the 370Z roadster and the new Cube at the L.A. Auto Show in November.

So what caused the company to change its mind? According to Buddendeck:” Given the extraordinary economic and industry climate, all well-managed companies have a fiduciary responsibility to review strategies and tactics for going to market. As everyone knows, the automotive industry is facing severe and prolonged headwinds in North America and around the world. It’s a climate that demands decisions that are often difficult and even controversial.”

“At the national level, Nissan North America decided to withdraw from both the Chicago and Detroit shows. After a careful review of this decision with our North Central Region management and our Chicago dealers, we have found a way to maintain a presence at the Chicago show through our dealers, while still demonstrating the fiscal responsibility required by these challenging times. The decision outlined for Chicago does not affect our decision to withdraw from the 2009 North American International Auto Show.”

Chicago Auto Show Co-Chairman John Phelan put it this way, “To be sure, talking about our current economic conditions isn’t going to turn our industry around. But showing and talking about great new products, technology and breaking automotive news will help turn it around—and we want to help.”

BYD F3R

Chinese go upstairs and join the party

Meanwhile, back in Motown, all that extra floor space means it has to be filled by someone. So after two years spent in the basement as the red-headed stepchild, the Chinese automakers (so far, BYD and Brilliant) finally get their chance to join in the big dance on the main floor. Who knows, if anyone else drops out, even the boys from DUB magazine may get their big break. This could get interesting.

How about a DUB Rolls-Royce?

2009 Ford Flex

What is IIHS?

Originally founded in 1959 by a group of insurers to support academic organizations working in the field of highway safety, the initial directive of this non-profit organization was changed in late 1968 when the Institute decided to “start at once to collect auto accident repair cost data prospectively.”

Beginning with the tenure of president William Haddon Jr., M.D. in 1969, the institute turned away from the traditional efforts of preventing crashes by changing driver behavior to developing a systematic approach to the reduction of vehicle occupant injuries, deaths and vehicle property damage.

The Institute’s current research covers three areas:

•    Human factors that include teenage drivers, alcohol-related driving impairment, truck driver fatigue and safety belt use.

•    Vehicle factors that focus on crash avoidance and crashworthiness research

•    Research of the physical environment that includes roadway design assessment to prevent such things as run-off-the-road crashes and the elimination of roadside hazards.

Crash Testing

Unlike the Federal government’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), the IIHS does not use a full-frontal impact test, but rather a 40% offset frontal test. This exposes 40% of the front of a vehicle to an impact with a deformable barrier at approximately 40 miles per hour. The logic, according to the IIHS, is that while a full-frontal test certainly would yield results that would demonstrate the effectiveness of in-car safety systems, the offset test results better demonstrate the structural integrity of a vehicle and a vehicle’s ability to protect its occupants.

In addition to the frontal offset test, the IIHS has also begun side impact tests using a barrier that is more elevated than in the NCAP test, to better simulate an impact with an SUV. Vehicle bumpers are also evaluated in a series of 5 mph tests, while seat and head restraint designs are tested and rated using a test sled.

Ratings and Top Safety Pick Awards

Based on test results, the IIHS rates a vehicle’s crash performance as good, acceptable, marginal, or poor. While requirements for a Top Pick have changed throughout the years, current vehicles must first earn a good rating in all three categories (front, side and seat/head evaluations for injuries that could be sustained in a rear impact). An additional requirement is that winning vehicles must offer Electronic Stability Control, as the Institute’s research indicates ESC “significantly reduces crash risk, especially the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes, by helping drivers maintain control of their vehicles during emergency maneuvers.”

2009 Honda Fit Sport

Top Safety Picks 2009

For 2009, the big winners were Ford Motor Company and Honda Motors. For its part, Ford had the greatest number of vehicles – 16 different models (two, the Fusion and Milan, have ESC as an option) – that were rated as Top Picks, representing 44% of current Ford vehicles tested by IIHS.

Honda, on the other hand, had 13 vehicles that were rated as Top Picks that represented 100% of Honda’s current lineup that has been tested by the Institute.

2009 Winners:

Large cars

Acura RL
Audi A6
Cadillac CTS
Ford Taurus
Lincoln MKS
Mercury Sable
Toyota Avalon
Volvo S80

Midsize cars

Acura TL
Acura TSX
Audi A3
Audi A4
BMW 3 series – 4-door models
Ford Fusion – with optional electronic stability control
Honda Accord – 4-door models
Mercedes C Class
Mercury Milan – with optional electronic stability control
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Passat

Midsize convertibles

Saab 9-3
Volkswagen Eos
Volvo C70

Small cars

Honda Civic – 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control
Mitsubishi Lancer – with optional electronic stability control
Scion xB
Subaru Impreza – with optional electronic stability control
Toyota Corolla – with optional electronic stability control
Volkswagen Rabbit – 4-door models

Minicar

Honda Fit – with optional electronic stability control

Minivans

Honda Odyssey
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona

Large SUVs

Audi Q7
Buick Enclave
Chevrolet Traverse
GMC Acadia
Saturn Outlook

Midsize SUVs

Acura MDX
Acura RDX
BMW X3
BMW X5
Ford Edge
Ford Flex
Ford Taurus X
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Veracruz
Infiniti EX35
Lincoln MKX
Mercedes M Class
Nissan Murano
Saturn VUE
Subaru Tribeca
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Toyota Highlander
Volvo XC90

Small SUVs

Ford Escape
Honda CR-V
Honda Element
Mazda Tribute
Mercury Mariner
Mitsubishi Outlander
Nissan Rogue
Subaru Forester
Toyota RAV4
Volkswagen Tiguan

Large pickups

Ford F-150
Honda Ridgeline
Toyota Tundra

Small pickup

Toyota Tacoma

Why a show about auto interiors? Part Deux.

In a previous article, I mentioned the advantages to living and working in the Detroit Metro area if you happen to be writing for LotPro.com about automobiles: location, location, location. Because in addition to the usual auto shows that you find in any major city, Detroit is home to the greatest concentration of automotive R&D facilities and engineering talent found in the United States. Period. End of discussion.

This also means that metro Detroit also hosts a number of other automotive-related events that can only be found in this particular part of the country – most notably the Automotive News World Congress and the SAE World Congress. Although not nearly as large as either one of those, the Ward’s Auto Interiors Show provides a showcase for this important facet of automotive design and engineering

4 Specialty Categories

Although these categories don’t deal with overall engineering and design execution, they do address 4 very important facets of the driver/automobile interface:

Best Electronic Innovation – Infiniti Around View Monitor - With many new vehicles sporting rear-mounted cameras, Infiniti took that concept one step further. Found on the Infiniti EX35, the Around View Monitor (AVM) utilizes no less than 4 ultrawide-angle, high-resolution cameras to alert the driver of potential problems on every side of the vehicle – virtually eliminating blind spots while, for instance, parking. In addition, sensors provide beeping alerts to indicate proximity as well as superimposing lines on the video image to indicate the best path.

Best (Interior) Redesign – 2009 Hyundai Sonata –  While it certainly wasn’t class-leading at its debut in 2005, by the time 2008 rolled around, the aging dash design of the Sonata was closer in DNA to a Dodge Neon than a Honda Accord – one of its chief competitors. All that has changed with the 2009 Sonata. Although a mild refresh to the exterior front and rear fascias are a welcome change, it’s the interior and, specifically, the dashboard where greatest improvements have been made. Although still adorned with the faux wood usually found in Corollas (faint praise, at best), the rest of the dash is light years of its predecessor.

Best Brand Expression – Volvo C30 – The interior of the C30 exudes Swedish design elegance and simplicity. Minimalist seatbacks, brushed metal accents and contrasting black and gray upholstery give the Volvo an understated, sophisticated look found on very few offerings from the United States or the Far East.

Clever Utility – Dodge Journey -  What domestic vehicles may lack in design elegance, they more than make for in overall utility and the new Dodge Journey is no exception. The Journey features more hidden storage compartments than Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon. For example: the front passenger seat features “Flip ‘n Stow”, a storage compartment that can be accessed by flipping (hence the word ‘flip”) the bottom seat cushion forward to reveal the hidden bin. There are also concealed compartments under the floor in the rear cargo area as well as ahead of the second-row seats (with liners that enable them to be used as ice chests).

Second-row seats feature integrated child booster seats and, when the seatbacks are flipped forward (there’s that word, again), present a small bin as well as 2 cupholders. The front glove box features a “Chill Zone” to keep your beverages cold, while the cargo bay wall features a built-in emergency flashlight. All this, and more, is available in this Swiss Army Knife disguised as a crossover vehicle.

2009 Nissan Murano

If you are familiar with the 2007 Murano (there is no 2008 model), you won’t mistake the 2009 version for anything else. The distinctive shape is still there, but something about the previous generation’s style got lost in translation. A softening in the style of both the front and rear portions of the vehicle makes the new Murano less edgy and, unfortunately, more bland.

The interior, on the other hand, is much more inviting. Upgrades in materials and design put it on a par with the best in its class.

2008 Infiniti EX35

Based on the G35 architecture, the EX adds a rear hatch and more headroom. Options include Lane Departure Prevention as well as AVM – a 4 camera monitoring system on the sides and ends of the vehicle designed to help with close-in maneuvers such as parking.

Toyota A-BAT Concept

Revealed at this year’s NAIAS, the A-BAT is a hybrid clone of the Honda Ridgeline. While Detroit Auto Show attendees could only gaze on it from afar, engineers at the 2008 World Congress were able to get up close and personal. While the styling may be derivative, the powertrain certainly isn’t. Toyota engineers installed the parallel hybrid system they call Hybrid Synergy Drive in this concept that includes a 4-cylinder gasoline engine coupled to an electric motor. Like its Prius cousin, this allows the vehicle to navigate the urban landscape in electric-only mode.

2009 Toyota Prius

Hybrid technology was a big hot button at this year’s SAE Congress, what better way to celebrate “greenness” than trotting out the best-selling hybrid vehicle on the planet? Even with one of the weirdest dashboards in the industry, the Prius continues to outsell the Honda Civic Hybrid by a huge margin.

Toyota FCHV Hybrid

Maybe you’ve seen the FCHV (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle) at the auto show, but engineers get to see the “cutaway” version in all its innard-exposing glory. High pressure hydrogen tanks, nickel-metal hydride battery and a power control unit are all there courtesy of a modified Toyota Highlander that has been neatly sliced in half from fore to aft. Eighteen “whole” vehicles are currently in service at California universities, private companies and Japanese government agencies.