Even though hybrid vehicles now represent a huge section of the auto market, Nissan is choosing to move ahead of the curve by focusing its efforts on fully electric vehicles. Toyota, one of Nissan’s biggest Asian competitors, has achieved great success with the Prius, and will continue to take the lead on Hybrid technology. I see Nissan’s strategy as basically getting ahead of the game, providing itself a head start on research and development of battery technology. 

The auto blog Gas 2.0 provides a nice analysis of the thinking behind the move: “Rather than compete with its larger Asian rivals in a space that they already own, Nissan is doing what Toyota did with the Prius back in the day: seizing control of a market before it even really exists. If the gamble pays off, ten years from now Nissan may be the car company that others look to as a model for how to make—and market—electric cars.”