Many automakers are still interested in combustion powertrains as they keep an eye on the slow sales of EVs. However, Nissan is bucking that trend. Recently, a Nissan executive told the Australian magazine Drive that the company would not be investing in any new combustion engines or technologies.

Nissan’s Competitors Collaborate

The announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise considering that Nissan’s competitors have already revealed plans to collaborate on new combustion engines. Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota are planning a new project that moves in the opposite direction of Nissan.

However, Nissan is focusing on its e-Power technology, which uses a small gas engine to power electric motors. This effectively makes the gas engine a generator. Nissan wants to increase its gas engine thermal efficiency to at least 50%, which is an impressive goal and one the automaker has been working on for years.

Nissan isn’t dismissing gas engines entirely, especially in global markets where emissions regulations are lax. However, the recent announcement is still interesting considering Nissan has often been considered second fiddle to larger Japanese automakers like Toyota and Honda.

Working Toward the Transition

The full electric transition obviously won’t happen overnight and Nissan will continue offering combustion engines in its vehicles for some time. However, it will be interesting to see how Nissan moves toward an electrified lineup and how long it takes. Many other automakers have backed off hard on fully electric lineups in favor of more hybrid offerings.

It’s not clear at this point whether Nissan will use its e-Power technology as a short-term solution toward electrification, or if it’s a long-term plan. The demand for EV models has decreased dramatically in the last few years, which has led many of Nissan’s largest rivals to scrap plans for certain electric models.

Industry experts have largely concluded that the early adopters of EV models have purchased their choices and what’s left are people who aren’t sure about buying an EV model. Despite the tax credits, most EV models are priced well above their gas counterparts. With interest rates remaining high, it’s not easy for many people to afford an EV.

Nissan’s Current Model Lineup

Nissan offers a wide variety of vehicles in its current model lineup. Its SUV lineup includes the subcompact Kicks, the compact Rogue, the midsize Murano, and the three-row Pathfinder and Armada SUVs. The latter is a full-size truck-based SUV that can carry up to eight passengers.

Nissan is also known for its affordable cars, including the smaller Versa and Sentra sedans. The midsize Altima sedan sits at the top of the lineup. It also offers a few sports cars like the Z and the GT-R. The only truck in Nissan’s lineup is the midsize Frontier. The full-size Titan and Titan XD trucks were recently discontinued.

For electric models, Nissan still offers the Leaf, one of its most pioneering models from 2011. It’s likely to be phased out soon, but Nissan recently introduced the Ariya compact SUV and plans to add more EV models soon.