A few years ago Nissan teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to create the Infiniti QX30 crossover, which shares its DNA with the Mercedes-Benz GLA. Well it looks like that partnership isn’t working out so well for Infiniti, since sales of the QX30 have failed to meet expectations.
Christian Meunier, Infiniti’w new president, revealed to Motor Authority that the QX30 in its current form, won’t survive past the current generation.
“(The QX30 is) not a very successful product. We’ll keep selling it for now…but this is not a product that has a future beyond its current life,” Meunier stated this week at the Detroit Auto Show.
Last year Infiniti only sold 8,101 QX30 crossovers in the US, compared to Mercedes-Benz who managed to sell over 24,000 GLA models. While buyers haven’t loved the current Mercedes-Benz based QX30, that doesn’t mean that it’s going to die. The next-generation QX30 will be based on “an all-Infiniti platform.”
Meunier also hinted that the next-generation QX30 could use variable-compression engine technology, which recently debuted in the QX50. The QX50 is powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder engine, but a smaller engine using the same technology is in the works. The smaller engine could also be paired with batteries to create a hybrid version.
Source: Motor Authority
