Nissan to Discontinue Rogue Plug-In Hybrid Model

The 2026 Nissan Rogue plug-in hybrid is likely a one-year-and-done model, and the automaker is okay with that. The Rogue compact SUV is Nissan’s most popular model in the U.S., where it had been offered only without electrification even though other markets received a hybrid version.

When North America started favoring hybrids, Nissan was caught wrong-footed. The e-Power hybrid system offered elsewhere was not powerful enough for American highways and driving habits.

Nissan turned to alliance partner Mitsubishi, which had the Outlander plug-in hybrid. The 2026 Rogue PHEV is unabashedly a Nissan-badged Outlander with a 2.4-liter I-4 engine and dual electric motors, giving it about 248 horsepower and around 38 miles of EV range.

Nissan’s Plan for the Rogue Hybrid

Once Nissan launches the fourth-generation Rogue for the 2027 model year, which will have that improved e-Power hybrid system, the gap will be bridged and the book will close on the PHEV. Nissan thinks the e-Power hybrid will be a huge success.

“Once we launch the new e-Power in the Rogue, we’ll be done with the plug-in hybrid version,” says Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan Americas chief product and planning officer. It will likely be phased out after the 2026 model year.

No tears will be shed. It was low-volume and its reason for existing evaporated. When the plug-in Rogue was introduced in early 2025, it qualified for the $7,500 tax rebate incentive in the U.S. and Nissan received a lot of emissions credits for having it in the lineup, says Pandikuthira.

Volume Expectations

Volume expectations for the year are super low, Pandikuthira said. The government eliminated the EV credit and without it, the Rogue PHEV is an expensive vehicle, starting at close to $48,000.

“I think we will sell a few thousand vehicles, hopefully drive a little traffic, but essentially it is a bridge to e-Power,” which he says was pulled ahead.

Nissan is betting on the success of the new Rogue Hybrid with e-Power to boost sales, says chairman of Nissan Americas Christian Meunier. Nissan sold fewer than 218,000 Rogues in 2025, drastically below its peak of more than 412,000 in 2018.

Sales are expected to rebound strongly with the launch of the all-new, fourth-generation Rogue later this year. The 2027 Rogue will start as a hybrid-only with e-Power this year and add a gasoline-only version in 2027 as a more affordable option.

Pandikuthira expects demand to be split 50/50 initially. Longer-term, he expects customers will gravitate to the hybrid, appreciating the benefits of fuel economy and a zippier ride.

Production Plans

Early versions of the Rogue Hybrid will come from Japan. The 2027 Rogue Hybrid will come from Japan initially but will eventually also be assembled at Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee, plant.

Smyrna will start building the gas-powered fourth-generation Rogue in the spring of 2027. The gas version keeps the current 201-hp, 225-lb-ft 1.5-liter turbocharged inline three-cylinder engine but with some updates, says Pandikuthira.

Nissan is also looking at whether it makes sense to make the hybrid powertrain at its plant in Dechard, Tennessee.

Richard Candler, Nissan Motor Corporation executive for family, product & component strategy, said when it comes to powertrains, e-Power will be the core of the lineup for the next few years.

He said Nissan is confident in it because it offers great acceleration as well as fuel economy. In the U.S., he expects most gasoline-powered vehicles will be replaced by the hybrid technology quickly and eventually all ICE models will be hybridized.

The plug-in hybrid was a temporary solution in a tough-to-read market. These uncertain times have made it difficult for automakers to read the market and make product decisions.

The industry as a whole bet big on EVs, only to shrink plans and in many cases take financial losses when demand did not grow as quickly as anticipated.

Sales were further walloped by the Trump administration’s decision to discontinue the tax rebates on electric vehicles.

On a typical day, at around 2 PM, Nissan’s team reviews the sales data to assess the market trends.

In a conference room on the third floor of Nissan’s headquarters, the team discusses the production plans and sales strategies.