The Infiniti’s flagship, Nissan’s luxury brand introduced in Europe only a couple of years ago, has been presented as new hybrid version M35h. The new car will join the petrol version M37 at the european market, from the spring of 2011. In terms of performance, the hybrid version promises to be particularly satisfying, as well as more efficient than the traditional model.
Double engine, double clutch: The new Infiniti M35h hybrid will be powered by a normally aspirated engine 3.5 V6 combined with a 50 kW electric motor that Japanese engineers have decided to integrate with the seven-speed automatic transmission. Nissan has designed the use of two clutches, the first positioned between the gasoline engine and the electric motor to manage the hybrid system, the other clutch positioned between the motor and wheels, to turns the classic task of transferring power to the wheels drive (RWD). In this way, the heat engine can be completely disconnected from the wheels at low speeds, the car works in electric mode and on the slowing or stopping phase the movement of the wheels gives recharge the lithium-ion batteries. The Infiniti M35h shows many of the latest innovations as the electro-hydraulic steering with power assistance on demand, the system Blind Spot Intervention (BSI), the Active Noise Control system, the ‘Air Forest’ conditioning system that reproduces forest essences in the cockpit.