Nissan planning luxury hybrid in 2010

Nissan Motor Co. will offer a luxury gas-electric hybrid for the U.S. and Japanese markets next year, Japan’s top business daily reported Sunday, as competition intensifies in the green technology.

Nissan’s Tokyo headquarters were closed for the weekend. Automakers are generally tightlipped about specific product plans, but Nissan already has shown prototypes of their hybrid models.

Nissan has fallen behind Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. in developing its own hybrids but has made no secret of its ambitions to play aggressive catchup.
IHT