During Nissan’s Ambition 2030 presentation, it mentioned that it will introduce 23 new vehicles with 15 of them being battery-electric through 2025. Infiniti was mentioned but the focus was put on the mainstream brand. Until now that is. The brand has announced that it will double down on its Japanese heritage and it will sell mostly electrified vehicles by 2030. Unlike Nissan, Infiniti didn’t provide a mix for every region it does business in.
Infiniti continues by noting that its electrified vehicles will remain driver-centric. Technologies found in their cars and crossovers are going to help the driver, not take over from them. The company notes that it remains focused on people’s experiences as a brand that embraces diversity and inclusivity. A short video gives us a glimpse of the brand’s vision together with a tease of three shadowy vehicles at the very end hinting at future models.
From what we can tell, these appear to be concept cars. The closest one appears to be a sedan with a fastback roofline reminiscent of the Qs Inspiration Concept. Only this time, it has full-width LED taillights. This concept could preview the successor to the Q50, which has been on the market since the 2014 model year. An electrified production model based on that vehicle could use both a battery-electric or hybrid powertrain, the latter of which will likely be the E-Power system used in many Nissan vehicles globally. Unlike other hybrids, E-Power is a series setup meaning the gas engine is only there as a generator. The electric motor and battery are the only ones motivating the vehicle. In this case, Infiniti could use the new 1.5-liter VC-Turbo three-cylinder as a generator just like in the upcoming E-Power versions of the global market Qashqai and Rogue/X-Trail.
The vehicle in the middle looks farthest from production. It has similar design cues as the other two including the full-width LED taillights but based on the shadowy silhouette, it has design cues that are likely not production-ready. In the back, for example, there appears to be a set of buttresses framing a small rear window to give it the low-slung roofline and what appears to be a trunk. Although it’s a crossover, the way it has been shown here hints that it may have sporting intentions and may turn into an electrified spiritual successor to the iconic FX, the actor that eventually became the QX70 before it was discontinued in 2017.
Last but not least is a more traditional crossover at the very far end of the shot. It’s also the closest vehicle to production. Like the QX50, QX55, and QX60, it’s curvaceous but appears to have a massive greenhouse. This could hint that it’s more of a family or passenger-oriented vehicle. We’re not sure what’s powering it but it’s likely electrified in one way or another. Of the three, this one could debut first to give us a glimpse at what Infiniti has planned for the future.
Although not much is known about the three vehicles Infiniti teased when announcing its plans, we have an idea of what components it can take from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance parts bin. The CMF-EV, which has proved to be compatible with subcompact and compact applications, will be used for its EVs. An updated version of the CMF-C/D platform has been built with electrification in mind as evident in the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. What we’re seeing here gives us hope that Infiniti will have fresh products soon. The fact that they have access to the latest components in the alliance’s parts bin should help speed things up.
