...Other Infiniti expansion opportunities include alternative powertrain models, although he and de Nysschen are cautious on this topic, too.
Full electrification, diesel engines in markets outside Europe and hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains are trendy, but may not provide the biggest bang for Infiniti’s buck, especially when it is seeking money to enter new markets and expand capacity, they say.
For this reason, the brand has delayed the introduction of its first all-electric model, to be based on the LE concept car.
“We absolutely have to now prioritize investments into addressing shortcomings in our product portfolio,” de Nysschen says. “Between now and 2020, (we may need) anywhere between $10 billion and $13 billion. That’s a lot of money, and we are not going to get a blank check from Nissan. We have to pay our way, we have to earn it, and so we have to prioritize our projects on the basis of their immediate commercial return.”
Delaying the EV, which will carry the Q badging when it does arrive, also affords the brand time to fit the car with the latest in battery technology, de Nysschen says.
WardsAuto forecast data shows the Infiniti electric vehicle’s U.S. introduction pushed ahead just one model year, from ’14 to ’15...
