Infiniti is currently working on the next-generation of its lineup. In addition to featuring electrified powertrains, there’s also a chance that the next Infiniti Q50, Q60, and Q70 could ditch their current rear-wheel drive platform and come standard with all-wheel drive.
Infiniti product chief Francois Bancon recently told GoAuto that the current rear-wheel drive platform, codenamed FM, won’t work with Infiniti’s electrification plans. “We are going to have to change, this [FM] platform is a V-6 platform, it is rear-wheel drive,” Bancon stated. “We are going to have to shift because this platform is not an electrified platform; you need a battery, you need an electric motor, it’s a different package.”
Instead of the current rear-wheel drive platform, the future Infiniti models will likely feature an all-wheel drive platform with at least two electric motors, with one of the electric motors powering the rear.
“Since you shift electric you have a motor in the front and in the back, so RWD does not make sense anymore,” he said. “So with the new generation electrified platform…it’s a bit like Audi with its 4×4.”
Either way, we won’t see the switch for a few years, since the next-generation Infiniti models will not debut until 2021.
Source: GoAuto
