Nissan’s Best-Selling SUV Is Finally Going Hybrid

Sales of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the United States went up 36% in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. In other words, HEVs and PHEVs are a safe bet right now for automakers, which is why Ford , Toyota , Hyundai and Kia –to name a few–are upping their hybrid game to reap the benefits. However, from the lengthy list of car manufacturers that currently offer hybrids and plug-in hybrids, Nissan is notably absent.

Yes, you read that right–Nissan doesn’t sell a single electrically assisted car in the United States, and it’s feeling the burn. Sales of the Rogue, its most popular model , went down 24% in the third quarter, while January-through-September deliveries went down 10%. So Nissan is also upping its hybrid game by adding not one, but two hybrid options to the best-selling Rogue.



The first electrically assisted Nissan in the U.S. will reach dealerships late next year, according to Nissan Americas Chief Planning Officer Ponz Pandikuthira, who spoke with Automotive News earlier this week.

The first version will be a plug-in hybrid with tech borrowed from joint venture partner Mitsubishi. Specifically, the Rogue PHEV will use a similar powertrain to that used in the Outlander PHEV , which has the unique ability to function as both a series hybrid and a parallel hybrid. In the Outlander, there’s a 2.

4-liter inline-four gas engine that powers the front wheels. Additionally, two electric motors–one at the front and one at the rear–create an electric all-wheel-drive system that can either work on its own (parallel hybrid) or in conjunction with the gas lump (series hybrid). A 20-kilowatt-hour battery can be recharged via one of the two separate charging plugs (one for AC charging and one for DC fast charging) or the engine can work as a generator and send juice to the pack.

Mitsubishi said the European model will get a bigger, 22.7-kWh battery next year and we expect it to make its way to the U.S.

as well–both for the Outlander and the upcoming Rogue PHEV. The 20-kWh battery of the current U.S.

-spec Mitsubishi Outlander enables an EPA-rated all-electric range of 38 miles on a full charge and a combined gasoline + electric fuel economy of 64 MPGe. Without electric assistance, the Outlander PHEV has a combined gas-only economy of 26 mpg. After the Rogue PHEV, Nissan will introduce a conventional, non-plug-in series hybrid powertrain for the SUV.

This will come in early 2027 along with a redesign to keep the model up to date, seeing how it will be seven years old then. According to Automotive News, the electrified Rogue could be built at the Japanese automaker’s plant in Canton, Mississippi, and not in Smyrna, Tennessee, where the gas Rogue is assembled. That’s because Nissan is investing $500 in the Canton facility to get it ready for its next-generation all-electric lineup.

Globally, Nissan plans on launching 34 electrified models through early 2031, including a hybrid Pathfinder, a hybrid Infiniti QX60, two all-electric sedans and three all-electric crossovers, one of which will replace the current Leaf hatchback..