Nissan has announced that it will cease investment in new combustion engine technology. Francois Bailly, the Senior Vice-President and Chief Planning Officer for the AMIEO region, confirmed this strategic shift during an interview with Australian magazine Drive.

Francois Bailly stated, "Our future is EV. We're not investing in new powertrain for ICE, that's for sure."

The shift includes focusing Nissan on their 'e-Power' technology. This system features a hybrid setup where the combustion engine acts as a generator to charge the battery rather than directly driving the wheels. This method mirrors technologies like Mazda's rotary system used in MX-30 and the two-rotor setup in its iconic SP concept.

Despite halting new investments, Nissan aims to enhance fuel economy in its current engines. The company has achieved a 50% thermal efficiency milestone with a prototype e-Power during testing in early 2021. This places them ahead of Toyota's Dynamic Force engines which have surpassed 40% efficiency.

Nissan plans a gradual transition to electric vehicles (EVs), citing varied global emissions regulations as the reason. For example, Africa still legally allows Euro 2 cars. The company's strategy is to align its portfolio to regional requirements and phase out internal combustion engines (ICE) gradually while updating existing engines to meet stricter regulations.

Source: Drive