Nissan is reportedly working to adapt the hybrid system in its rear-drive 2012 Infiniti M35h hybrid to front-drive applications, according to Japan's Nikkan Kogyo newspaper. While Nissan will ditch its front-drive Altima hybrid—which used hybrid tech licensed from Toyota— for 2012 due to slow sales, Nissan's in-house hybrid tech already has been developed, and it makes sense for the automaker to spread the system to more than one model and drivetrain configuration. The hybrid system in the M35h is rather simple and straightforward compared to the Altima hybrid's complex Toyota system and utilizes an electric motor in place of the automatic transmission's torque converter. A dry clutch connects the engine and the electric motor, while a wet clutch pack is installed between the electric motor and the transmission, allowing the motor to power the car independently of the engine while enabling start-stop and regenerative braking functionality.
After taking the Infiniti M35h hybrid for a spin this past spring, we were impressed by its smooth powertrain and quiet operation. That car uses an Atkinson-cycle V-6 engine paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission, but Nikkan Kogyo claims Nissan's front-drive hybrid system will combine a four-cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission with a lithium-ion battery pack and the Infiniti M35h's two-clutch setup. Nissan declined to comment on the development of the front-drive hybrid system or when we could see a production front-drive model equipped with it, but Nikkan Kogyo's sources indicated that it could power the next-generation Nissan Altima hybrid as early as 2012.
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Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/nissan-spinning-front-drive-hybrid-system-off-of-its-rear-drive-hybrid-tech/
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