TOKYO: For many automotive brands, vehicle sales have taken a beating of late.
Infiniti is in the same predicament. But it is looking to reinvent itself in hopes of bouncing back stronger.
The brand could be considered a "Nissan-plus" and less luxurious under the transformation as indicated by Inifiniti chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta during an interview with Automotive News. "Infiniti will be great again," said Ashwani.
One of the brand's cost-cutting measures is to use more of Nissan's platforms, which means it could stop making rear-wheel-drive cars (such as the as soon as 2023 comes along.
The focus of Infiniti would be to make it more appealing again - especially in the US and China markets, with products such as the Altima and Maxima leading the assault.
READ MORE: Nissan plans big cuts to go small after first loss in 11 years
The new Infiniti vehicles could also receive a higher-performance version of Nissan's e-Power hybrid system to provide differentiation.
The brand's 2019 sales saw 188,994 vehicles moved globally with 117,708 units delivered to the US - a figure that was down 21% from the previous year.
Infiniti plans to start production of the new QX55 in November. The QX55 is a coupe-inspired crossover that gets its styling cues from the first-generation FX, and slots between the QX50 and QX60.
Electric cars are certainly in Infiniti's future; it previously announced it would launch a battery electric vehicle in 2022. It also said its entire lineup would be hybrid or all-electric by 2025.
