You might have forgotten about Infiniti, but Nissan hasn’t. Despite numerous broken promises over the last decade and plenty of false starts, the Japanese automaker has laid out a new turnaround plan for its embattled luxury division. And what do you know: it involves Infiniti making a performance sedan and rugged SUVs, presumably based on the new Nissan Xterra. Return of the QX4, anyone?
The rollout of five new models over the next five years will consist of four SUVs and one sports sedan. First out the gate will be the new QX65, which debuted in New York earlier in the month. The fastback two-row SUV based upon the three-row QX60 will arrive at dealers in the coming months.
Next on the docket will be a “high-horsepower” sports sedan with an optional manual transmission. Sweet. We don’t know much beyond that, but it’s worth noting Nissan teased the next-generation JDM Skyline sedan during its presentation, and the previous version was… sold in America as the Infiniti Q50. (Sorry GT-R fans, I know those taillights look promising, but you can see a rear door handle on the side.) That, plus Nissan’s announcement that it wants to streamline its product lineup by building more focused families of vehicles around shared platforms, means there’s a good chance means we’re looking at the bones of this new mystery Infiniti saloon, though Nissan won’t confirm it. Nissan and Infiniti’s Senior VP of U.S. Marketing and Sales Tiago Castro wouldn’t commit to its name either.
The third new model will be a compact SUV with Nissan’s e-Power hybrid powertrain, which is a series hybrid. The gas motor acts as a generator to power the battery pack, which powers the electric motors that turn the wheels. There’s more than a decent chance this ends up being a reskinned luxury version of the Nissan Rogue.
Here’s where it gets interesting: the fourth model will be Infiniti’s take on the upcoming body-on-frame Nissan Xterra, which will offer both a V6 and V6 hybrid powertrain. Cultured people will remember that Infiniti tried this before with the Pathfinder-based QX4 in the early 2000s, and those were great trucks. If Nissan gives Infiniti a great base to work with, this whole space could really be something to watch. Worth noting that Lincoln is reportedly working on a luxury version of the Ford Bronco.
Castro didn’t reveal the final model, but noted the lineup only needs one sedan, could support five SUVs at minimum, and that the automaker has a plan that’s even broader than that now. There’s a distinct possibility that a future body-on-frame Nissan Pathfinder could spin off an Infiniti variant that sits above the Xterra-based Infiniti, below the QX80, and alongside the QX60.
Castro told The Drive that he wants a 700-horsepower QX80 SUV to take on the Escalade V—guess that SEMA build got people talking—and that there’s demand for such a thing. There might even be a less powerful variant, say about 600 hp, in the works to get a more potent model out the door quicker to satisfy market demand and increase sales.
Amidst all this, Castro noted that 2029 will be Infiniti’s 40th anniversary, and that’s a big deal for the automaker. A few years ago, it didn’t seem like it would even make it. Now if it can just follow through with the plan, at least there’s a fighting chance.
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