Nissan Murano Hybrid Announced, but Not in the U.S. (yet)

Nissan has unveiled plans for a hybrid version of the Murano crossover for the Chinese market. China is a key market for the company and with their partnership with Dongfeng, Nissan plans to introduce the Murano Hybrid there first.

Equipped with a supercharged gasoline engine and electric motor utilizing the Nissan Intelligent Dual Clutch System and Xtronic transmission, the Murano Hybrid will feature performance similar to the V6 gasoline-only version. Fuel economy is expected to be the same as the lower-end 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine option sold in some markets. The hybrid Murano will have all-wheel drive.

The Murano Hybrid will be priced at the upper end of the Murano's selling point in the Chinese market, which is roughly about $60,000 U.S. Chinese customers are buying sport utilities and crossovers in ever-growing numbers and the Murano is already important as-is, but the hybrid version is expected to add sales with Nissan aiming for close to a double-digit take-rate for the hybrid.

As with the Murano sold in the U.S., the Chinese version includes all of Nissan's advanced driver-aid technologies such as Forward Emergency Braking, a Driver Alert System, and so forth.

Solid numbers on the Murano Hybrid have not been released, including actual fuel economy numbers and definite pricing. These will be forthcoming when the new hybrid enters showrooms later this year.

As for North America, Nissan isn't saying whether we'll see a Murano Hybrid. Given Nissan's past experience with hybrid-electric crossovers in the past, though, it's questionable whether they have much interest. The Pathfinder Hybrid was not exactly a sales success here.