Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, has been suffering the same pains as its parent company. Sales are down in its biggest market – the US – and the company is searching for a path forward. Earlier this month, Infiniti’s Chief Operating Officer, Ashwani Gupta, began laying out some of that plan only for Infiniti Chairman Peyman Kargar to further flesh it out in a new interview with Automotive News. Kargar details how Infiniti won’t reduce the number of models it sells while hinting at the future of the brand’s powertrains.
Part of Infiniti’s path forward will be having to rely on Nissan’s existing models and platforms, likely sharing architectures between the two. However, to differentiate Infiniti and Nissan, Infiniti plans to use Nissan’s e-Power hybrid powertrain system, though it’ll be an exclusive version of the tech. It’ll have a unique name that’ll be announced in the coming months. Infiniti will also offer conventional an internal combustion engine and a pure-electric powertrain, too.
In May, Nissan laid out an expansive plan to revamp its lineup, refocus the company in key markets, and streamline and update its products. For Infiniti, there’ll be no such streamlining to its lineup. Infiniti’s been left out of talks of reducing its lineup because there are no plans to do so, which, today, includes a coupe, a sedan, and a trio of crossovers/SUVs.
4 Photos
Right now, Kargar, who took over the chairman role June 1, is still assessing the company’s position and plan, telling the publication that his goal is to guarantee the company’s current plan forward leads to a “sustainable premium brand.” He also said he’d adjust that plan if necessary. The massive Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, after a couple of tumultuous years, announced last month a restructuring plan that should reduce competition among the members, improve cooperation in R&D, and reverse the alliance’s downward sales trend. Infiniti is part of that comeback.
[ad_2]
Source link