Nissan News: Nissan Kills Off Pathfinder/QX60 Hybrids

[William Maley]

Nissan was the first automaker to offer hybrid version of their 7-seat crossovers, the Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 Hybrids. It now seems they are first one to kill off their hybrid crossovers.

 

Green Car Reports found out that if you visit the Pathfinder Hybrid page, you are shown a message that says the "Pathfinder Hybrid is no longer available". When asked for comment, Nissan's senior communications manager Dan Passe said,

 

"Pathfinder Hybrid is no longer on sale at Nissan dealers. Nissan is focusing its manufacturing, marketing, and dealer resources on the 3.5-liter V6-powered Pathfinder, which achieves up to 27 highway miles per gallon."

 

No reason was given as to why the Pathfinder/QX60 Hybrids were shown the door, but we would guess it comes down to poor sales. Considering that hybrid version only achieved 3 MPG better on the combined cycle compared to the standard model, many buyers just didn't see why they should spend an extra $3,000 for it.

 

Source: Green Car Reports

 

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[Drew Dowdell]

no one even notice them until they were gone.

[FAPTurbo]

These existed?

[regfootball]

woot, like both your posts

[ocnblu]

More proof.  Plain.

[daves87rs]

These existed?

 

 

+1

 

Missed that....

[Drew Dowdell]

More proof.  Plain.

It proves nothing beyond the fact that products that aren't marketed don't sell.  Nissan announced these and then never spoke of them again.. .even a bunch of us in the industry had forgotten they even existed. 

[FAPTurbo]

More proof.  Plain.

 

Proof that Nissan's marketing is bad? Yes! Proof that people want hybrids with meaningful fuel economy improvements? Likely.

 

But they are good at letting everyone know the electric Leaf had its best sales of the year in May.

[balthazar]

Very likely the truth lies somewhere between the two above points. Marketing well may have been awful, but those actively looking for hybrids have a myriad of methods to find what's offered; lack of marketing doesn't mean they are 'super double secret' vehicles. The other bookend to this is the common one for hybrids; is the meager (in this case) MPG gain worth 3 grand? Some will say 'yes', others will obviously say 'no'.

Edited July 6, 2015 by balthazar

[Drew Dowdell]

Very likely the truth lies somewhere between the two above points. Marketing well may have been awful, but those actively looking for hybrids have a myriad of methods to find what's offered; lack of marketing doesn't mean they are 'super double secret' vehicles. The other bookend to this is the common one for hybrids; is the meager (in this case) MPG gain worth 3 grand? Some will say 'yes', others will obviously say 'no'.

 

Bill's stance is typically that any time a hybrid model is taken off the market, it is proof that all/any electrification is bad.  That isn't the case.  As with nearly all vehicles, poor execution and poor marketing and poor company management is typically the cause.  The Pathfinder Hybrid going off the market is no more an indictment of electrification than the HHR going off the market is an indictment of small wagons.

[ocnblu]

Oh I see.  And the Durango Hybrid?  Aspen Hybrid?  Tahoe Hybrid?  Yukon Hybrid?  Escalade Hybrid?  Escape Hybrid?  Mariner Hybrid?  Shall I go on?

[Drew Dowdell]

Oh I see.  And the Durango Hybrid?  Aspen Hybrid?  Tahoe Hybrid?  Yukon Hybrid?  Escalade Hybrid?  Escape Hybrid?  Mariner Hybrid?  Shall I go on?

 

It's as if I type things, you see them, but don't read them.

 

 

As with nearly all vehicles, poor execution and poor marketing and poor company management is typically the cause.

Saturn Astra, all of Pontiac, Ford Probe, Chevy Trailblazer, Chrysler Pacifica....... these vehicles are as much an indictment of the internal combustion engine as your list is of electrification. 

 

But lets break your list down.

Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade - one of the most technologically advance hybrid systems at the time and since.... but also by far the most expensive. It was effective, but cost so much that it didn't pay the buyer back ever.  It also reduced tow ratings which is important to this class of SUV buyer.

 

Durango/Aspen - take the most expensive hybrid system available and put it in two of the ugliest and poorest selling SUVs of the day... I can hear Chrysler Management saying "Where did we go wrong?!?  Who's fault is this!?"

 

Escape/Mariner - Victims of the "One-Ford" policy. We already know the fate of Mercury.  Ford tried to claim that the new 1.6T would match the fuel economy of the previous hybrid, but that hasn't been the case. (2015 Escape 1.6T FWD 23/32/26 v 2012 Escape Hybrid FWD 34/31/32).   Ford sold about 25k Escape/Mariner hybrids a year ... or roughly the same rate that they are selling C-Max hybrids today.   However, I still believe that Ford is leaving sales on the table because crossover hybrid buyers will not automatically switch over to a smallish hatchback hybrid just because it is a hybrid.  Those of us who require AWD are effectively locked out of hybrids at Ford now.

[ocnblu]

Oh, OK.  Did you say something?  I missed it.