Nissan e-Power technology a hit with Aussie car buyers

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Aussies are getting on board with Nissan's innovative hybrid powertrain tech, and the Japanese auto company is looking to build on its e-Power range as demand grows.

The e-Power hybrid system uses the engine under the bonnet solely as a generator for the car's electric motor/s, providing an EV driving experience without the petrol engine directly powering the wheels.

For context, Toyota hybrid systems let the electric motor/s and petrol engine drive the wheels at the same time, or separately. So, you can go on electric power, run on petrol power, or a mix of the two.

Small SUV sales last year were pretty solid, given they hadn't been available until March.

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Nissan Australia is "ecstatic" about those figures, and managing director Andrew Humberstone is looking forward to ongoing growth of its hybrid brand.

“There are heaps of options and opportunities on the table for us… e-Power tech is really crucial for that shift from petrol vehicles, to hybrid versions, to all electric,” Mr Humberstone said

Nissan Australia has admitted it initially had trouble making people aware of the advantages of e-Power, even as the demand for hybrid SUVs grew strongly, led by Australia's best-selling medium SUV, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

Mr Humberstone's positive that local customers have now got their heads around the technology, making it possible for a further extension of the lineup and a boost in sales.

“Fair dinkum, we buggered up the way we explained it in the first place, and people just didn't get the hang of it being a hybrid technology.”

When people get behind the wheel, they spend their dollars, and that's once they grasp the tech.

“‘This has been a steep learning curve in terms of coaching the team, the dealers, the sales blokes, the lot, but also communicating with the punters and changing the global brand strategy from just ‘e-Power’ to ‘e-Power, hybrid reinvented’.”

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Nissan's innovative e-Power technology was first rolled out in Australia for the flagship X-Trail Ti-L model, then expanded to other five-seat, all-wheel drive variants of its popular mid-size SUV, such as the ST-L and Ti, before being offered in the flagship Qashqai Ti e-Power model.

Nissan currently only offers e-Power models of the X-Trail and Qashqai in Australia, but the technology gets used in a wide range of vehicles elsewhere.

In Australia, while electric vehicle sales are down 21.7 per cent, hybrid vehicle sales increased by 76 per cent compared to the previous year.