The sedan is dead. Long live the sedan.
While SUVs and CUVs may be taking over the U.S. market at a rapid pace, there’s still a sizable market for classic, three-box models like the Infiniti Q50. Nissan’s luxury brand is betting it can increase the sedan’s appeal by upping its luxury quotient.
An upgraded version, dubbed the 2019 Infiniti Q50 Signature Edition will make its debut at the New York International Auto Show next week – sharing the stage with the Infiniti Q Inspiration concept that offers a glimpse into the future of the brand.
“The sedan segment is still very much an important part of the industry, and the Infiniti Q Inspiration concept was created to breathe new life into this market,” said Mike Colleran, global division vice president, Marketing and Sales Operations. “By exploring the bold and unconventional, the Q Inspiration concept showcases a new design language for the era of electrification and signals what the future holds for the Infiniti brand.”
The Q50 Signature Edition adds features like sportier front and rear fascia, 19-inch bright-finish alloy wheels and, inside, leather-appointed sport seats and Kacchu aluminum trim. (Gesundheit?)
(Click Here for more details about the QX Inspiration battery car concept.)
The special model also gets a full range of advanced driver assistance systems, including Blind Spot Warning, Around View Mirror with Moving Object Detection, front and rear sonar system, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Backup Collision Intervention.
The tech package also includes onboard navigation, Infiniti’s InTouch telematics services, and a four-year subscription to the SiriusXM Traffic service.
Power comes from Infiniti’s familiar, 300-horsepower VR-series 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6.
(Infiniti set to abandon Western European market. Click Here for the story.)
As for the Q Inspiration, the concept first debuted at the 2018 North American International Auto Show. It’s one of an assortment of new concept vehicles the automaker has been rolling out to give a hint of where it plans to go over the next few years. The crossover-styled QX Inspiration made its debut at this year’s Detroit Auto Show and, like the Q Inspiration, it relied on an electrified driveline.
Half a world away, Infiniti is showing off a third new prototype, the Qs Inspiration, at the annual Auto Shanghai motor show. The all-electric crossover hints of a new flagship model that could serve as the long-awaited replacement for the original Q45, albeit in a more crossover-like form.
(Click Here for more on the Infiniti Qs Inspiration concept.)
The various Q Inspiration models indicate a significant shift is coming in Infiniti’s design direction, the automaker set to use the opportunity to move batteries and motors under the floorboards and recapture space normally devoted to the engine compartment for passengers and cargo.
“Electrification creates a range of new possibilities for sedans, with new powertrains and vehicle architectures letting us imagine how this type of car could be reinvigorated and adapted to fit the changing needs and tastes of drivers,” said brand Chairman Christian Meunier.
