Infiniti: back thanks to electricity?

Nissan’s premium division, shaken by its exit from Europe and Russia, is looking for a way out. It can be electric, with an innovative concept recently presented in Tokyo, which could also mark its return to Europe…

Do you remember Infiniti? Nissan’s premium division previously sold by us SUVs, sedans and coupes, instead of plush and technology. But it faces Lexus, which is better established, and the German premium whose bad reputation is strong, has never managed to enter Europe, and make a place for itself in this special market. He has ceased its European operations in 2020, and the collapse of the Russian market (its second largest market behind the United States at the time) a few months later threw it into the unknown. Just look at the sales figures: 58,600 Infiniti were sold worldwide in 2022vs. 102,300 Acuras and 625 000 Lexus ! The loss of these two important markets does not explain everything: the renewal of its products has been much slower than its competitors …

Get out of the long and boring from the problem

It was true the arrival of the QX55 in 2021, the coupe version of the QX50 compact crossover, but the latter is already 2017 so we can’t talk about a completely new model. The QX80 full-size SUV (based on the Nissan Patrol) dates from 2010, and the Q50 sedan from 2013! The only true novel: New QX60 (Nissan Pathfinder), completely updated in the second generation in 2022, it finally seems to breathe new air into the brand. It increased Infiniti US sales by +47% in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022! To continue this momentum, Infiniti will soon be renewing a large portion of its lineup: 4 new models were announced straight from the Tokyo Motor Show which is open today!

Infiniti sees its future in electricity

First new feature: the new generation QX80, 13 years later, it was time! THE concept of the QX Monograph it features an all-new model, which will be launched next year (along with the Nissan Patrol). Infiniti also advertises the arrival of a large SUV coupe derived from the QX60: the QX65, which can be discovered below in the form of a teaser image. But the big news for this Tokyo Motor Show is that Infiniti is (finally) gearing up take a turn towards 100% electricity.

Apart from the electric crossover called Vision QXe at the moment but not visible, it is above all the Vision Qe, a large electric sports sedan, which attracts all our attention. It can be Infiniti’s first electric model, in competition with the next Lexus IS. What is interesting about these announcements is that Infiniti may take advantage of electrification to return to Europe! Like Cadillac or Chevrolet for example. The brand confirmed that it wanted to launch 19 new types of electricity by 2030 and 27 new electrified structures.

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