MORE than 100,000 versions of quasi-electric e-Powered models have been sold in Europe since Nissan introduced its revolutionary powertrain in September 2022.

To date, 65,367 Qashqais and 34,663 X-Trails equipped with e-Power technology have been sold across the Continent with 20 per cent of those in the UK.

British sales of e-Power vehicles are 18,591 Qashqais and 2,435 X-Trails.

With electric power only reaching the wheels, e-Power uses a petrol engine to generate the power, delivering a smooth and quieter driving experience.

The clever system allows the engine to boost battery power as required and return energy to the battery automatically.

David Moss, senior vice president, region research and development, said: "e-Power is a key component of Nissan's electrification strategy, representing the perfect option for customers who are not quite ready to switch to a 100 per cent electric vehicle, but want to enjoy the effortless progress that only electric motor driven wheels can provide."

The technology is now moving beyond Europe with Nissan introducing e-Power vehicles in Australia and New Zealand in both vehicles, and in the Qashqai in Morocco.

Official fuel return for the Qashqai e-Power is 54.3mpg with the X-Trail averaging 48.7mpg in front-wheel drive configuration and 44.8 at best for the four-wheel drive variants.

The Qashqai is built in Britain at Nissan's Sunderland factory while the X-Trail is produced in Japan.