Infiniti is rolling out its newest concept at the Geneva Motor Show: the QX30, which is a beefier version of the Q30.
Aiming to take its place among first-tier global luxury car brands, Infiniti is in the midst of a frenetic product development program and the next fruit of its labors will take a bow at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
Dubbed the QX30, it will be a beefier, all-wheel-drive take on the Q30 that will go into production mid-year. Significantly, both models are based on a platform developed as part of a rapidly growing alliance between Infiniti’s parent Nissan, French automaker Renault and Daimler AG, the parent of Mercedes-Benz.
“The QX30 Concept aims to reignite the premium compact segment with a distinctive approach to design that looks beyond the practicality and conformity expected of the segment,” Infiniti suggested in a news release accompanying this teaser pic.
The target is the sort of young, active buyer who lives an “urban week and get-away weekend lifestyle.”
Compact crossovers make up the fastest-growing segment in the global auto industry, and a wide range of mainstream manufacturers have begun flooding the market with new entries, including the likes of the Lexus NX and Lincoln MKC, on the luxury end. Cadillac has made it a priority to come up with a version of its own. And German makers are rapidly filling in every possible “white space” with compact CUV variants.
Infiniti is betting that the production version of the QX30 will not only flesh out its line-up but help it gain traction in a bit to grow beyond its traditional role as a primarily U.S.-based Tier II luxury brand.
The Q30, which made its debut in concept form at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, shares much of the same underpinnings, though the QX30 will adopt an all-wheel-drive powertrain layout and a bit more ute-like stance.
While the front of the QX30 isn’t visible in this teaser image, it is likely to borrow Q30 design cues. In the concept version, that mean a “slim, sleek and flowing” form, according to Infiniti chief designer Alfonso Albaisa ,with a distinctive split grille and headlights, Albaisa said, meant to resemble the human eye.
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The Q30 cabin, meanwhile adopts a “horizontal dissymmetry,” he suggested during the Frankfurt unveiling, with separate zones for driver and front passenger. While a little less flashy than the concept, that layout is expected to carry over to both the production Q30 and QX30 models.
Both vehicles will be based on the new compact luxury architecture developed by Mercedes-Benz for such models as the coupe-like CLA and GLA crossover. Sharing the underlying platform has helped both manufacturers to cut costs while offering a broader range of products.
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At least initially, plans call for the two new Infiniti models to be produced solely out of the maker’s plant in Sunderland, U.K. The Q30 will begin rolling down the line in mid-2015, the QX30 following “shortly thereafter” according to an Infiniti planning document. The plant will supply markets in Europe, the U.S., China and other parts of the world.
Mercedes and Infiniti also have teamed up to build a new assembly plant in Mexico. It will be based alongside a more mainstream factory in the central city of Aguascalientes.
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The partners have been vague about specific production plans for the luxury plant, other than to say it will use the “next-generation” Mercedes compact luxury car architecture. Whether that would mean updated versions of the Q30 and QX30 or some yet-to-be-revealed addition to Infiniti’s small vehicle line-up remains to be seen.