“We are working on the next generations of the models we are going to have for the midterm and long-term plan of the brand,” Kargar told Automotive News outside the meeting. “We want to make sure that every single model we are going to bring to the market will be a wow product.”
An Infiniti spokesman declined to comment on discussions that took place in the meeting.
Adding a two-row D-segment crossover to the lineup expands the customer base, said one dealer at the meeting who requested anonymity.
“What they’re looking at is the three-row QX60 for the growing family, and the new two-row crossover will be for the family when the kids are off to college,” the dealer said.
The new crossover “fills a white space” between Infiniti’s three-row QX60 and the compact QX50 crossover, said Sam Fiorani, vice president at AutoForecast Solutions.
“Empty nesters and smaller families are looking for that right-sized model where the standard Lexus RX and Mercedes-Benz GLE have been very successful,” Fiorani said.
U.S. sales for the Nissan Motor Co. luxury brand fell 26 percent last year, following a pandemic-fueled 32 percent tumble in 2020, as consumers took a pass on the brand’s aging and limited portfolio.
But while several automakers pivot fully to electric models, Infiniti won’t abandon the combustion engine even as it builds its EV portfolio.
“Even by 2030 … in the U.S., you would have a big part of the customers still requesting nonelectrified cars,” Kargar said,
He told dealers Infiniti will be positioned as “the best Nissan Motor Co. is offering.”
“We are going to make this happen in every single area,” he said, including product design, technology and customer experience.
