Nissan, the Japanese carmaker controlled by Renault, will be able to build up to 50,000 hybrid petrol-electric cars a year for sale in the US once production starts next year, the company said on Tuesday.

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive, said Nissan would build its fuel-efficient version of the hybrid Altima saloon at a factory in the US, using electric components bought from Japanese rival Toyota. But he said he had little idea how much demand there would be for the car, and it would be loss-making.