Analysis of Future Models for Infiniti
After the recent features on the future models strategies for Renault and Alpine, Dacia, Lada, RSM, Datsun, Venucia and Nissan, this chapter of our analysis covering Renault-Nissan Alliance brands focuses on Infiniti. Mitsubishi, the final make in the series, follows later in the week.
C segment
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Aside from the China-only ESQ, the Q30 is the smallest model Infiniti makes and the brand’s first foray into the C segment. It’s based on the same Daimler MFA platform that underpins the Mercedes A-Class and shares that car’s 1.6 and 2.0-litre gasoline engines, and its 1.5 and 2.2-litre diesel engines. Johan de Nysschen, the then-president of Infiniti stated in 2014 that he didn’t believe there was room in the range or a model smaller than the Q30 – probably because Infiniti wouldn’t be able to make much profit on a smaller vehicle.
After initially considering Magna Steyr as a contract manufacturer, Infiniti opted to build the Q30 for all global markets at its Sunderland plant in the UK. Combined with the QX30 SUV (covered below), production of the two models was set at 60,000 units per year but demand has fallen a long way short of that number. A facelift is expected some time in 2019 and production is predicted to run until 2022, when it will be replaced by a new model.
D segment
Intended as a rival to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class, the Q50 is the firm’s entry into the D-segment compact executive class as a successor for the G sedan. Production began at Tochigi in 2013 for global markets, although Chinese-market models – including the exclusive long-wheelbase Q50L – are built at DFN: Xiangyang in Hubei Province. All use a version of the Nissan FR-L platform that originally underpinned the 370Z sports car. Facelifted models entered production in Japan and China from June 2017. The replacement is expected in 2020.
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By GlobalDataTraditionally, Infinitis were offered with gasoline engines or gasoline-hybrid systems but the Q50 was the first Infiniti offered with diesel power to tempt European buyers. In this case, it was the 2,143cc (‘2.2d’) diesel engine offered across Mercedes’ more affordable models. Other options include a 2.0-litre turbo-gasoline engine also sourced from Daimler or a Nissan-derived 3.5-litre V6 gasoline-hybrid setup.
Bringing a little flair to the Infiniti range, the Q60 coupe takes aim at competitors including the Mercedes C-Class Coupe, the Audi A5 and the BMW 4 Series. Like the Q50 above, it’s based on Nissan’s FR-L platform and has been built at the Tochigi factory since 2016. A facelift is due in 2020 and the whole production should last until 2024 when the Q60’s replacement arrives.
Entry-level models are powered by a Daimler-sourced 2.0-litre turbo-gasoline engine but more powerful models feature a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 gasoline engine with either 300 or 399hp. To save weight, Infiniti has fitted the Q60 with a bootlid made from a resin skin mounted on a steel frame – something the manufacturer claims is a world first. While it’s unconfirmed, it’s possible that Infiniti could opt to sell the Q60 as a convertible.
E segment
As far as traditional road cars go, the Q70 is the largest model Infiniti makes. This executive saloon is aimed at buyers who’d typically be looking at a BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class so features more room and a greater number of luxurious features to mark it out from the Q50. It was first launched in 2010 as the M sedan but, in 2013, followed the rest of the range in adopting Infiniti’s new naming conventions and became the Q70 with only minor exterior changes.
Like its D-segment offerings, Infiniti has based the Q70 on the FR-L platform – in this instance, the stretched FM version that underpins Nissan’s Fuga and Cima. Production has been based at the Tochigi factory since 2010 and will continue until the end of 2018 – it was facelifted in 2015. Engine options include Renault-Nissan-developed gasoline V6 and V8 units, a Renault-Nissan V6 diesel, a hybrid and a Daimler-supplied 2.1-litre diesel.
F segment
A much overdue effective replacement for Infiniti’s former big luxury sedan is said to be under development. Several generations of the Q were sold mostly in North America from the time of the Infiniti brand’s launch there back in the early 1990s.
Sources now indicate that any revival of the Q would likely be aimed at the Porsche Panamera rather than the Lexus LS. To that end, it is proposed to use the architecture of the second generation Nissan GT-R, including its rear transaxle. There should also be a coupe derivative. A preview in the form of the Q80 Inspiration concept was revealed at the Paris motor show in October 2014. There was another design study at the 2018 Detroit auto show: the Q Inspiration concept. Some insiders have suggested that the Q80 may instead use the same MRA architecture as that of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Nissan and Infiniti are collaborating with Daimler in the area of hydrogen fuel cell technology. Infiniti’s first fuel cell vehicle is likely to be based on the Q80. It is not expected to become available until around 2022.
SUVs and crossovers
Seemingly breaking with Infiniti’s established naming conventions, the ESQ is something of an oddball. This compact crossover is – to the untrained eye – essentially identical to the pre-facelift Nissan Juke crossover on which it’s based. It’s built in Japan at the same Oppama factory as Asian-market versions of the Juke but is exclusive to China. Production began in 2014 and a replacement is due alongside the new Juke in 2019.
Like the Juke, it’s based on the Renault-Nissan Alliance A platform that’s found under the Renault Captur, RSM’s Samsung QM3 and the Nissan NV200 van. The ESQ is powered by either a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre gasoline engine or a turbocharged version borrowed from the sporty Juke Nismo.
Looking like a slightly raised Q30 with chunky plastic wheelarches, the QX30 is Infiniti’s equivalent of the Mercedes GLA compact crossover. Like the Q30, it’s been built in Sunderland since 2016 – a facelift is due in 2019 and its replacement is expected to arrive sometime in early 2023, shortly after the replacement Q30 is released.
Unlike the Q30, the QX30 only uses the more powerful engine options available on Daimler’s MFA platform – a choice of 2.0-litre turbo gasoline or 2.1-litre diesel units. In the USA, only the QX30 is sold, not the Q30 too. But there is a twist. Weirdly, entry-level versions are in fact European Q30s simply rebadged as QX30s, presumably to capitalise on the US’ love affair with crossovers and SUVs.
At the moment, there is no QX40 but such a model may be added in 2019 or 2020 as a potential rival for the BMW X4. The logical place to build it would be at Nissan and Daimler’s JV COMPAS (Cooperation Manufacturing Plant Aguascalientes) factory in north-central Mexico. This new plant is also known as Aguascalientes 2.
Sitting in the middle of Infiniti’s SUV range is the QX50. This premium five-seater counts the Lexus NX, Acura RDX, Audi Q5 and BMW X3 among its rivals. Production commenced in late 2017. This was the first vehicle to be made at COMPAS. In April, a second line was brought online for QX50 production at a Dongfeng Nissan plant in Dalian. A facelift is expected in 2021 before its replacement arrives in 2025.
The QX50 is the first vehicle based on Daimler-Nissan’s new MFA 2 platform. This architecture features the first automotive use of Super High Formability 980 MPa high-tensile steel, bringing a claimed 23 per cent increase in torsional rigidity compared to the outgoing QX50, improving performance and saving weight. In addition, the QX50 was the first Infiniti to use Nissan Motor‘s VC-Turbo 2.0-litre gasoline engine. Thanks to a unique crankshaft design, it can vary its compression ratio to optimise combustion for power or efficiency.
The larger QX60 SUV was originally called the JX when it was introduced in 2012, but was renamed along with most of the Infiniti range in 2013. This seven-seater is aimed at North America, the Middle East, Russia and China, and is built in Tennessee at the Smyrna plant. A facelifted version should appear in late 2018 and production is expected to continue until 2021 at an average rate of roughly 35,000 units per year.
The Nissan D platform is used for the QX60; specifically, a stretched version of the Nissan Murano’s underpinnings. The Nissan Pathfinder, also launched in 2012, is very closely related to the QX60 and is built in the same factory. From launch, it was powered by a 3.5-litre gasoline V6 but a 2.5-litre gasoline-electric hybrid was introduced in September 2013 – this was dropped from North American markets by the end of 2016 but is still on sale in China and the Middle East.
Production of the QX70 ceased in August 2017 and there was no direct replacement. However, a successor is said to be in the planning stages for a sales launch in 2021. This model will likely share a front- and all-wheel drive architecture with the next Nissan Murano.
The enormous QX80 is the largest SUV in the Infiniti range and was introduced in the second half of 2010 – originally as the QX56 before Infiniti’s 2013 name change. It’s sold in North America, Russia, South Korea, a number of Gulf States, and was introduced to Australia in mid-2015. It’s built in Japan alongside the mechanically similar Nissan Patrol at Nissan Shatai’s Kyushu factory. The 5.6-litre V8 gasoline engine is supplied by Nissan North America.
Up to eight people can sit in the QX80, making its closest rivals the Lexus LX, Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. A facelift for the 2018 model year was revealed in November 2017 at the Dubai Motor Show and addressed the QX80’s somewhat ungainly headlight positioning to bring it closer in line with the styling of smaller Infiniti SUVs. Production should continue until 2020 when the next-generation model is expected.
Electric
After having delayed plans to add an electric model some years ago, Nissan has now given the go-ahead to produce an Infiniti EV. This was confirmed by Hiroto Saikawa in January. Nissan Motor’s CEO further stated that Infiniti “will offer a mix of pure electric vehicles (EV) and e-Power vehicles”. The latter means a small petrol engine which charges a high-output battery and no plugging in.
“As a result of this emphasis on low-emission technology, Infiniti expects more than half its global sales to be comprised of electric vehicles by 2025”, Saikawa added.
Infiniti is also being given its own architecture for all future models, with the exception of the QX80 replacement, which will of course use a body-on-frame construction. The new platform was announced at the Beijing motor show in April 2018. It is claimed that it will be unique to Infiniti and be compatible with battery-electric and e-Power powertrains. The latter means petrol-electric hybrid with a range extender, which could in many vehicles be the existing 2.0-litre VCT. The as yet unnamed platform was previewed in the Q Inspiration Concept unveiled at the 2018 Detroit auto show.
The petrol engine and one motor will be placed over the front axle, while AWD will be possible via a second motor at the rear, with a third motor will be added for high performance Infiniti EVs.
The Infiniti electric model is due for release during 2021 and should have a seven-year lifecycle.
Future model plan reports for other manufacturers can be viewed in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.
Future product program intelligence
Additional data covering vehicle lifetime and future product plans, including code names, production plants and expected annual build is available in PLDB from QUBE.
