Nissan ships Altima hybrids to dealers

Nissan Motor Co. began shipping the 2007 Altima hybrid, the nation’s newest gasoline-electric vehicle, to dealerships this week and said Tuesday that prices would begin at $25,015.

That’s well below competing mid-size hybrids, such as Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry and Honda Motor Co.’s Accord. But the sticker price represents a $4,000 increase over Nissan’s high-volume Altima S model with a conventional four-cylinder gasoline engine.

Like other hybrids, the new Altima qualifies for a federal tax credit, which falls as sales volume rises. Nissan said the Altima credit would be $2,350. The Camry hybrid, with a base price of $26,820, qualifies for a $1,300 tax credit, which will fall to $650 on April 1.

Nissan’s four-cylinder hybrid has federally estimated fuel economy ratings of 42 miles per gallon in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway.

The Altima hybrid could achieve an overall average of 35 mpg in ideal driving conditions for a range of as much as 700 miles on a 20-gallon tank of regular gasoline, said Bill Bosley, general manager of the Nissan brand for the Japanese automaker’s Tennessee-based North American unit.

Nissan is a reluctant entrant in the hybrid market, having advocated that fuel cells and other advanced technologies hold greater long-term promise. The company licensed Toyota’s hybrid technology for its first effort.

Unlike its competitors, which sell their hybrids in all 50 states, Nissan is marketing the Altima only in California and the seven other states that have adopted emission rules that are stricter than the federal standard.

The Altima hybrid runs on electric power alone at initial acceleration and uses the electric motor to augment the gasoline engine when greater acceleration is needed for tasks such as passing and climbing hills.

Nissan spokesman Darryll Harrison said that about half the hybrid’s price premium represented the cost of the more expensive powertrain and that half came from the hybrid’s higher level of standard equipment.