As soon as Honda blazed the path for gasoline-electric hybrid autos right here with the 2000 Perception, and the Toyota Prius proved to us that hybrids labored nice as real-world vehicles a 12 months later, the race was on amongst different producers to get into the hybrid sport. GM managed to place collectively a “gentle hybrid” Silverado for 2004, and Ford started promoting the Escape Hybrid as a 2005 mannequin. Nissan managed to keep away from being too late to the hybrid occasion by introducing the Altima Hybrid for the 2007 mannequin 12 months; gross sales have been poor, however I’ve managed to seek out considered one of these vehicles in a San Francisco Bay Space self-service wrecking yard not too long ago.
Nissan was busy creating what would change into by far the world’s biggest-selling pure electrical automobile of the 2010s through the center 2000s, and so the crew from Yokohoma saved time by licensing Toyota’s hybrid expertise to be used on this automotive.
The Toyota system labored nice, and it allowed the 2008 Altima Hybrid to ship 35 metropolis and 33 freeway miles per gallon. That was higher than the 23 metropolis/31 freeway mileage of the bizarre ’08 Altima sedan with automated, however not sufficient higher to tempt many patrons.
The MSRP on this automotive was $25,480, or about $37,062 in 2023 {dollars}. In the meantime, the most affordable pure-gasoline ’08 Altima sedan might be had for simply $18,620 ($27,084 after inflation). Due to the superb metropolis gas financial system, the New York Metropolis Police Division purchased some Altima Hybrids to be used as patrol vehicles.
The Altima Hybrid was out there simply in Canada, California, New York and the opposite eight states that had adopted California’s strict energy-efficiency rules for motor autos. Gross sales have been so gradual that it obtained the axe after the 2011 mannequin 12 months.
It seems that the physique and inside have been in excellent situation when this automotive arrived in its ultimate parking area, so we will assume that some expensive mechanical failure doomed this automotive.
The sprint has a sticker from Burning Man 2022, so it was a identified runner a bit greater than a 12 months in the past.
Perhaps right now’s Junkyard Gem was purchased new at Hayward Nissan, situated just some miles from its ultimate parking spot.