Nissan pulls the plug on the Altima hybrid

It's last call for the Nissan Altima hybrid sedan.

The 2011 model year will be the last for the gasoline-electric version of the Altima, ending a four-year run.

While the Altima is one of Nissan's core models in the U.S. market, the hybrid version has not been a big seller. One key factor is that Nissan offered the Altima hybrid only in California and the eight other states that follow its emissions regulations--Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Using technology licensed from Toyota, the Altima hybrid mated a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with a continuously variable transmission and an electric-drive motor for a combined output of 198 hp. The car also used a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack.

Nissan launched its homegrown hybrid technology on the 2012 Infiniti M35 hybrid, which went on sale in March.

By Dale Jewett