Infiniti Plans Q30, QX30, Q60 Coupe and refreshed QX60 for 2016

[Gecko]

It’s been a quiet year for Infiniti , with the only significant news being a new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine being added to the Q50, a longer wheelbase being fitted to the QX50, and a limited edition Signature Edition model being added to the QX80. Next year, however, the Japanese luxury brand will be busy with a handful of new additions to its lineup.

In the second quarter of 2016, Infiniti will start selling its highly anticipated Q30 and QX30 compact duo. The Q30 hatch has already been previewed and is due for a debut at next month’s Frankfurt Auto Show. A debut of the QX30 crossover should follow shortly after. Both vehicles are to be sourced from a plant in the United Kingdom and arrive as 2017 models.

Arriving in showrooms around the same time will be an updated version of the QX60 crossover. The third-row crossover, which is related to the Nissan Pathfinder, was a new addition to the Infiniti lineup for 2014. The updated version will arrive as a 2016 model and be shown for the first time at the Detroit Auto Show next January.

And last but not least, a new Q60 coupe will finally land in showrooms in the third quarter of 2016. The vehicle, previewed earlier this year by a thinly-veiled concept, will arrive as a 2017 model and replace the current Q60 which can trace its roots back to the G37 Coupe introduced for the 2008 model year.

The new Q60 is expected to be launched on the market with two horsepower ratings: an entry-level model is said to offer around 400 hp and a more potent model will reportedly offer close to 450 hp. It should be noted that these figures are comparable with the outputs of dedicated performance models from rival brands, such as the BMW M4 (425 hp), Cadillac ATS-V (455 hp) and Lexus RC F (467 hp), so take this info with a grain of salt.

As part of the transition to the new lineup, Infiniti will end production of the current Q60 as well as the Q60 Convertible this year. There will be no 2016 model year for the Q60. Another model ceasing production is the Q40 sedan (the former G37 sedan), which will not be replaced.

Source: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/...-and-redesigned-q60-coupe-for-2017-model-year

 

[mmcartalk]

Source: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/...-and-redesigned-q60-coupe-for-2017-model-year

Good post.

There's been a number of comments lately about how De Nysschen "ruined" Infiniti before switching to Cadillac. We'll see. Since he has only been gone a year, and since it usually takes at least few years from concept and/or early planning to production, he probably had at least some say in these decisions before he left. How these vehicles actually do when they are introduced will go a long way towards how history ultimately judges his stay there....and, of course, that of his successor.

 

[Gecko]

I agree with that.

Quite frankly, anything we see coming out of Cadillac will not even be his work, just considering the timeline it takes to design and bring a vehicle to production. The upcoming crossovers and CT6, aside from their naming convention, have little if anything to do with Johan.

Quite frankly, coming up with the naming schemes for Infiniti and Cadillac are the most "powerful" things he has done so far.

Though, I think there were rumors that he sent the Q60 back to the drawing board? So I guess that car will have some influence of his.

 

[mmcartalk]

Quite frankly, coming up with the naming schemes for Infiniti and Cadillac are the most "powerful" things he has done so far.

Yes, I do have to admit I'm not very impressed with the Q/QX naming system he came up with at Infiniti. But that is something that, if desired, can be changed rather easily or quickly.....it's not like designing new vehicles or platforms.

Though, I think there were rumors that he sent the Q60 back to the drawing board?

On the new Q60 coupe, per the article, looks like we're losing the convertible version (at least for now), though, being in a somewhat higher price class, it probably wouldn't have been direct competition for the Opel-produced Buick Cascada convertible that is coming to the U.S. next year. It's unclear though, from the article, if the coupe's AWD option remains, though IMHO it probably needs to be there if it is to be a credible alternative for its competitors. An interesting question is if we will see the addition of the electronic-linkage Direct-Adaptive steering from the Q50...which had teething problems and was not very popular with reviewers.

Speaking of the DA steering, I have to admit that, when I reviewed and test-drove the Q50, I chickened out and deliberately chose one with the conventional power steering. The DA system was brand-new, relatively untested by today's standards, and I was leery of what could happen if that system failed on the road at cruise-speed (even with a manual emergency back-up system). I didn't want to be on the local news that night LOL.

 

[mmcartalk]

Oh, and I forgot to mention this (Lexfather, you'll probably like it)............one of the Q50s on the lot, that day I did the review (one of those, I think, that also had the DA steering-option) had a set of big Vossen wheels on it from your company that obviously weren't stock. They had been special-ordered by the dealership and installed there as a dealer-accessory.