Infiniti offers a tease of a concept coming to Paris.
The cryptic statement reveals little beyond suggesting that Infiniti has something big coming. But TheDetroitBureau.com has learned that the maker is readying a new concept vehicle for the upcoming Paris Motor Show that could fill the yawning gap left open since the brand’s old flagship sedan, the Q45, went away.
The concept vehicle is expected to flag the grand changes coming at Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, while also underscoring that the brand hasn’t lost direction or momentum despite the recent departure of its global chief, Johan de Nysschen who is just reporting for duty this week as the new head of Cadillac.
“This will show people the vision lives on and we have a bright future,” said one of several sources who spoke to TheDetroitBureau.com on background only.
The Q45 was one of the first two models produced by Infiniti when it debuted in 1989 and, despite some criticism of its “belt buckle” grille and a quirky marketing campaign, was given high marks for its overall looks, performance and features. Indeed, the second-generation model claims to have been the first vehicle sold outside of Japan to offer voice-controlled navigation.
But demand lagged well behind such competitors as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Lexus LS, the Gen-2 Q45 generating just 1129 sales in 2005, leading Infiniti to stop exporting to the U.S. a year later. A version dubbed the Cima continued to be sold in Japan until 2010.
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The brand shifted focus to its E-Class fighter, the Infiniti M, while gaining more traction in the compact segment with its old G models – both recently adopting Infiniti’s new nomenclature strategy as the Q50 and Q70.
The Q70 will get a major facelift this year – as will the QX80 sport-utility vehicle. Infiniti is also adding a stretched version of the Q70, as well as a limited-edition version of the big SUV. But analysts both inside and outside the company have continued to believe that a true flagship sedan model was necessary to build brand presence.
Though the sources TheDetroitBureau.com spoke to would not discuss specific details, it appears the Paris concept sedan will likely make it into production in the relatively near future.
It will be one part of a pair of new brand bookends, Infiniti setting to introduce the crossover Q30 model in 2015.
A statement from Infiniti suggests that the brand is preparing a vehicle that will “push any preconceived limits.” It also notes its “soul” will be measured “on a scale not seen before from the company.”
That doesn’t necessarily imply that Infiniti is pushing the limits of size. The concept won’t rival the upcoming Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman limousine, for example.
Its scale, suggested a source, would be measured, “not just from a size standpoint, but an execution standpoint.”
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Infiniti could use a bit of a push right now. The brand has long lagged in the second tier of luxury marques. It appeared to be gaining momentum when, several years ago, it was granted more independence from the mainstream Nissan, moved its corporate offices to Hong Kong, and hired former Audi of America CEO de Nysschen to lead its globalization effort.
Under de Nysschen, Infiniti laid out a broad product expansion program – he had, in fact, hinted of a possible Q45 successor to come – while also putting more emphasis on power and performance. One of the South African-born executives legacies will be the launch of the Eau Rouge line, set to challenge the likes of such industry benchmarks as Mercedes’ AMG and BMW’s M.
It would seem natural, hinted another source, that a high-performance version of the planned flagship is in the works.
Infiniti isn’t the only maker looking for a flagship sedan. After years of debating its options – and rolling out a variety of concept alternatives, such as the well-reviewed Elmiraj – Cadillac is expected to debut its own top-line model next year.
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