Nissan set to launch hybrid SUV in US

Nissan Motor Co. said Monday that it will shortly launch a hybrid version of the Rogue SUV model equipped with its e-Power technology in the U.S. market, Jiji Press reported.

It will be the first time for the major Japanese automaker to release a vehicle with the e-Power hybrid system in the United States.

The new Rogue release comes at a time when demand for hybrid vehicles is growing against the backdrop of higher gasoline prices and the receding popularity of electric vehicles in the United States.

The conventional e-Power system has been considered unsuitable in the U.S. market because fuel efficiency tends to deteriorate when vehicles equipped with the system drive long distances at high speeds.

A new, third-generation e-Power system, which features improved fuel efficiency during high-speed driving and quieter operation, is used for the new Rogue.

The Rogue, a sister model of the X-Trail, a Nissan SUV sold in Japan, accounts for about 30 pct of the company's automobile sales in the United States.

Prices of the Rogue hybrid start at 35,490 dollars. The vehicle is produced at subsidiary Nissan Motor Kyushu Co. in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

Stabil.Az