Nissan to introduce e-Power in Thailand

Nissan intends to introduce its range extender drive e-Power soon in Thailand where it will also be produced. Until now this range extender drive has only been offered in Japan.

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The e-Power drive is a serial hybrid system. The wheels are always driven by an electric motor. This motor does not draw its power directly from a large traction battery but is supplied with energy by a combustion engine, which in turn drives a generator.

Ramesh Narasimhan, President of Nissan Thailand, has now confirmed that the e-Power technology will also be used in Thai-produced Nissan models (the plant is located in Samur Prakan). “We decided to pledge to continue our timeline to bring this ground-breaking technology, e-POWER, to Thailand. This is because Nissan commits to Thailand and our employees, as the regional leader in driving the company’s vision for the electrification of mobility. And as a key global production and export hub for Nissan,” said Narasimhan.

However, the Thailand Nissan boss left it open as to which models will be used. An e-Power version of the SUV model Kicks is possible since this will also be offered in Japan with this drive. According to a recent article, the Sylphy sedan would also be conceivable, since the direct competitor model – the Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid – is also offered as a hybrid.

Last December, there were reports that e-Power technology could also soon come to Europe, specifically for use in the Nissan Qashqai compact SUV. Nissan has not made any comments concerning these reports.

This week, however, there was another report from Reuters news agency that Nissan will soon stop selling cars in Europe because the Japanese manufacturer wants to focus on markets like Japan, China and the US. The manufacturer has now reacted to this report about the alleged withdrawal from Europe. Nissan is “fully committed to strengthening its European product portfolio,” says Guillaume Pelletreau, Managing Director of Nissan Center Europe.

Update 18 May 2020: Nissan’s electric SUV Kicks with the latest e-Power technology has debuted in Thailand. The country is also the first nation outside of Japan where Nissan now produces the serial hybrid technology. The Japanese say they hope the Kicks car to provide a “technical bridge for Thai customers towards EV adoption.”

autoindustriya.com, nissannews.com, nissannews.com (update)