Nissan Launches the Murano Hybrid in Shanghai

2015 Nissan Murano

Nissan took the opportunity to unveil a new addition to its lineup of hybrid vehicles at the Shanghai auto show with the debut of the upcoming Murano Hybrid. The details surrounding this new, more fuel-efficient SUV are still incomplete, but there are a few snippets of info to pass along.

From the sounds of it, the Murano Hybrid will be essentially unchanged visually from the standard model. The only items that will likely differentiate the gasoline-only model from the hybrid model will be a few badges and maybe different, more aerodynamic wheel designs.

Under the skin is where the Murano Hybrid will really shine. This is where the QR25DER supercharged 2.5-liter engine lives. This gasoline unit will mate to a 15 kW electric motor that draws its power from lithium-ion battery. The two powerplants are joined via the Nissan Intelligent Dual Clutch System.

If this powertrain sounds familiar, it should. This is the same driving force behind the Infiniti QX60 Hybrid. In the Infiniti, this combination puts out 250 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 243 pound-feet of twist at 3,600 rpm, while turning in fuel economy ratings of 26 mpg city and 28 mpg highway with front-wheel drive. The all-wheel-drive version gets 1 mpg less in the city.

From the sounds of it, this model will be exclusive to China, so don’t get your hopes up for seeing the recently redesigned Murano sporting a hybrid powertrain here in the U.S. Nissan states that this new model should hit Chinese dealers in the Summer of 2015.