The Infiniti Q30 Concept will make its formal debut at the Frankfurt Messe on the morning of September 10th.
Infiniti has rolled out a number of intriguing show cars in recent years, and one might be tempted to dismiss the Q30 Concept as nothing more than another styling exercise when it makes its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. That would probably be a mistake.
The maker has released a preliminary rendering of the Infiniti Q30 concept which, it notes, continues the styling evolution it has signaled with earlier prototypes like the Essence, Etherea and Emerg-e. But the fact that the Frankfurt show car will adopt the new Infiniti model nomenclature is probably a strong signal of what it really represents.
“This Infiniti Q30 Concept is a prelude to the product portfolio expansion which underpins our aggressive global growth strategy,” said Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti Motor Company, Ltd. “In our quest to appeal to the modern, young-minded premium customer, the Infiniti Q30 Concept has a distinctive style and reaches new levels of product quality.”
A production version of the Q30 would slot beneath the new Infiniti Q50, shown here.
In the Japanese luxury maker’s new model structure, the Q30 will slot beneath the Q50 sedan that is launching for the 2014 model-year. That would make it one of – if not the – smallest vehicle ever offered in the Infiniti line-up.
That reflects a significant shift in the maker’s strategy. Until recently, Infiniti was largely focused on the U.S. market where its old G series was the bottom of its model line. But the maker has ramped up plans to go global and that means the Q50 – the replacement for the G series sedan – will eventually become a mid-range model. A production of the Q30 would slot into a more compact segment and an even smaller Q10, targeting the likes of the BMW 1-Series, would almost certainly follow.
(Click Here to check out TheDetroitBureau.com’s review of the 2014 Infiniti Q50.)
Several sources at the Nissan luxury division also hint that the Q30 will be the first production model to emerge from an expanding alliance between the Japanese maker and Germany’s Daimler AG. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn previously confirmed that Infiniti will eventually share a small car platform developed by Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz brand.
The compact luxury architecture is now underpinning German models such as the new Mercedes CLA.
A production Q30 is still likely at least a year away from production but could land in showrooms around the time of the Q60, the replacement for the old Infiniti G coupe and convertible models.
(Infiniti Q50 just one of nearly 50 new models vying for North American Car, Truck of the Year honors. Click Here to see who else is on the list.)
In a prepared release, Infiniti suggests the Q30 concept is a “radical shift in the premium compact segment.” Indeed, it is reminiscent of the wagon/crossover-like styling of the Mercedes CLA rather than a conventional 4-door luxury sedan.
“Q30 Concept is slender, sleek and seductive,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti Executive Design Director. “When you see speedy big cats, like cheetahs, they have a slenderness and a lightweight stride. It’s almost like they’re floating. That’s the muscularity we were aiming for with Q30 Concept.”
As part of its new strategy, Infiniti has been given significant new autonomy from parent Nissan, with new design and engineering operations of its own, as well as a new headquarters in Hong Kong – which underscores the significance the maker expects the booming Chinese luxury market to play in its future.
(For a closer look at Infiniti’s new strategy, Click Here.)
As for the Q30, Infiniti notes that it will be “the first Infiniti model Sebastian Vettel, Infiniti’s new Director of Performance, will influence from its inception.”
The three-time Formula One world champion from Infiniti Red Bull Racing also helped tune the driving dynamics of the new Q50.