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Infiniti to move forward with 'Nissan-plus' strategy for its future cars

Sales at Infiniti in 2019 were down in the dumps. While the market as a whole fell 1.2%, Infiniti brand sales were down 21%. Nissan wasn’t too far behind, with its sales sliding 9.9% year-to-year. None of those numbers look great, but Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta still sees a path forward for NissanÂ’s luxury brand, Infiniti. “We will bring back Infiniti as Nissan-plus, in terms of product and technology," Gupta told Automotive News. “Infiniti will be great again.” Historically-speaking, Infiniti has been “Nissan-plus” for a long time over the years. Many vehicles in its lineup have been re-skinned versions of Nissans with some luxury thrown into the mix, and thatÂ’s not necessarily a bad thing. There have been some standouts, namely the original Q45 with its pioneering active suspension and shockingly sporty dynamics. And then there are the G coupes and sedans, vehicles that are still desirable to enthusiasts today. View 31 Photos InfinitiÂ’s current enthusiast offerings revolve around the Q50 sedan and Q60 coupe, both of which are rear-wheel-drive (or all-wheel-drive) cars with sporting intentions. ThereÂ’s no equivalent Nissan sold in America, but the Q50 is the Nissan Skyline in Japan. ItÂ’s impossible to know what the fate of these rear-drive-based cars will be, but a few possibilities lie ahead. Infiniti could really lean in to the “Nissan-plus” nomenclature and repurpose the new Altima as an Infiniti sedan. More likely, however, is a move to electrification. The Nissan IMs Concept and Infiniti Q Inspiration Concept both suggest that the company is interested in creating electric sedans. A “Nissan-plus” electric sedan sure sounds a whole lot better than a front-drive-based rebadged Nissan. InfinitiÂ’s biggest problem at this second is the lack of new product on the market. Its QX50 crossover is the most recent big redesign weÂ’ve been witness to, but it needed replacements yesterday for the QX60, Q50 and Q60 to be competitive with others in those segments. Both Lexus and Acura are outpacing Infiniti by a wide margin. The path forward as “Nissan-plus” also suggests Infiniti aims to be a premium brand, rather than a full-fledged luxury brand competing toe-to-toe with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. ThatÂ’s consistent with how the brandÂ’s cars have stacked up in recent years, even as it collaborated with Mercedes to put an Infiniti badge on the GLA crossover.

Cars with the worst resale value after 5 years

While the old saying that cars lose a massive chunk of their value as soon as they’re driven off the dealerÂ’s lot might not be entirely true these days, most new vehicles steadily lose value as they age and are used. iSeeCars recently released its latest study on depreciation, finding the models that lose value the fastest, and the list is packed with high-end nameplates. The vehicles that lost value the fastest over five years include: Maserati Quattroporte: 64.5% depreciation BMW 7 Series: 61.8% Maserati Ghibli: 61.3% BMW 5 Series Hybrid: 58.8% Cadillac Escalade ESV: 58.5% BMW X5: 58.2% Infiniti QX80: 58.1% Maserati Levante: 57.8% Jaguar XF: 57.6% Audi A7: 57.2% While sports cars, hybrids, and trucks dominated the list of slowest-depreciating vehicles, luxury brands accounted for all of the top ten fastest-depreciating models. iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer also pointed out EVsÂ’ lack of representation on the slow-depreciating vehicles list, saying that thereÂ’s a disconnect between what automakers are building and what people actually want. The average five-year depreciation for all vehicles in the iSeeCars study was 38.8 percent. ThatÂ’s an almost 11% improvement over 2019Â’s figures, but some vehicle types perform worse than others. EVs depreciated 49.1 percent over five years, while SUVs dropped 41.2%. Trucks only fell 34.8% and hybrids 37.4%. Brauer noted that all vehicles depreciate slower than they did five years ago. Even so, EVs are not the best choice if youÂ’re looking for a vehicle that wonÂ’t feel like a ripoff when itÂ’s time to trade in. On the flip side, used EVs can present a stellar value, saving thousands over their new counterparts. Charging times and availability remain concerns for buyers in large parts of the country, but a heavily depreciated EV could be the used car value youÂ’ve been looking for. The same wisdom applies to used luxury vehicles, as the list above indicates. While new-car buyers shopping for luxury cars are set to see big depreciation during their ownership, that means the used car market is flooded with inexpensive used luxury cars. High repair costs and costly maintenance schedules are real issues that used luxury models face, however. Green Audi BMW Cadillac Infiniti Jaguar Maserati Car Buying Used Car Buying

Infiniti's fastback 2021 QX55 crossover shows its stylish rear end

First announced in August 2019, the Infiniti QX55 will finally make its global debut on Tuesday, November 17. Nissan's luxury division released a preview image that gives us the best look yet at the next addition to its range. The QX55 is closely related to the QX50 crossover under the sheetmetal, but it stands out from its more family-friendly sibling with a rakish, fastback-like roofline that will inevitably attract the coupe label. It will be to the QX50 what the BMW X4 is to the X3. Although we haven't seen its front fascia yet, Infiniti's preview image shows the rear end wears horizontal LED lights that stretch deep into the quarter panels, along with a roof-mounted spoiler. We were pleasantly surprised by the QX50's upmarket interior, so we're expecting a comparable degree of opulence in the QX55. It's too early to tell if Infiniti will simply copy the 50's cabin layout and paste it inside the 55, or if the latter will receive a look of its own. Similarly, technical specifications won't be published until the model's introduction. We expect that the VC Turbo four-cylinder engine, which was a finalist for the 2019 Autoblog Tech of the Year award, will appear on the roster. All-wheel drive will certainly be available, and Infiniti may offer an entry-level variant with front-wheel drive. Infiniti will present the 2021 QX55 online Tuesday during an event that will star singer Aloe Blacc. It will stream the concert-unveiling cross on its various social media platforms starting at 8:55 p.m. Eastern time, 5:55 p.m. Pacific time. Built in Mexico, the model will arrive in American showrooms in early 2021 with a base price pegged above $40,000. What's next? The QX55 will stand out as the first model released under Infiniti's Nissan-Plus strategy, which was presented as a way to cut costs and boost profits by increasing the number of components it shares with its parent company. However, leaning more heavily on Nissan will not dilute its image or its products, according to executives. Stylists are in the process of overhauling Infiniti's design language, and the brand's reboot will put a major emphasis on technology. Looking ahead, the QX will be followed by the next-generation QX60, which is tentatively due out in 2021 as a 2022 model, and by the company's first series-produced electric car. Related Video: