Official Infiniti LE thread - early 2017, 60 kWh

[Stoaty]

Infiniti Cancels Electric Car Plans

Proof enough that GM's Bolt concept may or may not ever go into production.

[wantonsoup]

Infiniti Cancels Electric Car Plans

Proof enough that GM's Bolt concept may or may not ever go into production.

Exactly. Just like the initial delay of the Infiniti LE stopped the BMW i-series from going into production permanently. And Mercedes shuttered the EV B-class model too. Bummer.

Hold on a second...

[LTLFTcomposite]

Do you guys have to set an alarm to make sure you get an early enough start on hating GM every day?

[edatoakrun]

Infiniti Cancels Electric Car Plans

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2015 ... ign=buffer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hardly the first time a blogger has regurgitated a stale news story and added a misleading headline:

Read the story cited as the source:

Luxury car brand Infiniti has quietly shelved plans to offer its own electric car.

The Infiniti LE, which was shown in concept form at the New York Auto Show three years ago, had been due in showrooms last year. But it never showed up, a project put on hiatus because of other, higher priorities, according to Nissan officials.

"We have to be a little pragmatic," said Michael Bartsch, Infiniti's vice president for the Americas, speaking last week at a preview event for the new Q60 Concept at Detroit's contemporary art museum. For the moment, Infiniti needs to concentrate on high-volume segments, like the performance coupe arena where Q60 would fit.

...Infiniti may be waiting to recheck the electric possibilities when expected battery improvements in Leaf come along...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/car ... /21983537/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Which is just a restatement of what we knew months ago.

[Reddy]

Personally, I'd bet they are also waiting on a wireless charging standard. Nissan's marketeers have probably determined that potential Infiniti owners want to pull into the garage and not worry about plugging in. Plus, if they release the "200 mi" Leaf and a 60 kWh Infiniti at the same time, they won't be able to produce enough batteries. I'll predict introduction of the "200 mi" Leaf in 2016, consumption of the 200,000 BEV/manufacturer tax credit soon after, and then introduction of the 60 kWh Infiniti in 2017. Nissan probably thinks neither GM (Bolt) or Tesla (M3) will be out until after 2017.

[jsongster]

Do you guys have to set an alarm to make sure you get an early enough start on hating GM every day?

No just have to remember to refer to code name BOLT as production named EV2... who killed the electric car... and has done little to promote it since...

Don't bother with Volt references as it is simply a properly executed Plug in Prius that Toyota biffed by putting too small a battery in. 10 miles electric indeed.

Don't need to set an alarm, just remember your history. I wish GM well... I just wish they would get moving... these cars are 10 years behind because of their nonsense.

[JeffN]

Do you guys have to set an alarm to make sure you get an early enough start on hating GM every day?

No just have to remember to refer to code name BOLT as production named EV2... who killed the electric car... and has done little to promote it since...

Well, I'll mention the Volt anyway....

GM began collecting customer EV1s for the crusher in November 2003. Just 3 years and a couple of months later they showed off the Volt concept car in Detroit in January 2007. Later that year they announced it had been approved for production. The only other serious plugin car maker at that point was Tesla. It took Nissan until the fall of 2009 to announce the LEAF.

Toyota, Honda, Ford and perhaps others created electric cars along with GM and the EV1 (and S-10 pickup) and they all recalled their cars for the crusher (Toyota eventually relented after a PR campaign and much arm twisting). GM was the first company back in the plugin market after a short time away. Yet, GM gets all the hate. I understand the anger and frustration around that episode but after a decade it's now time to move on while still keeping a usefully skeptical eye on what all the big car companies are doing.

[evnow]

2 blogs - 2 different takes.

I think we'll see an Infiniti LE before/after Leaf 2 ...

http://insideevs.com/infiniti-le-electr ... right-now/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Why hasn’t the LE been given the production nod? Word is that Infiniti is waiting for the next-generation battery technology that we’ll find in the upcoming 2017 Nissan LEAF. That LEAF is expected to double the range of the current LEAF. We believe that the Infiniti LE will launch just prior to the next-generation LEAF. So, late 2016 sounds right to us, just in time to beat the Tesla Model 3 to market and to challenge it on all fronts.

[bigrob90]

2 blogs - 2 different takes.

I think we'll see an Infiniti LE before/after Leaf 2 ...

http://insideevs.com/infiniti-le-electr ... right-now/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Why hasn’t the LE been given the production nod? Word is that Infiniti is waiting for the next-generation battery technology that we’ll find in the upcoming 2017 Nissan LEAF. That LEAF is expected to double the range of the current LEAF. We believe that the Infiniti LE will launch just prior to the next-generation LEAF. So, late 2016 sounds right to us, just in time to beat the Tesla Model 3 to market and to challenge it on all fronts.

I think Infinit would be nuts to release an EV using technology which was not already tested in a Nissan. Unlike Tesla, Infiniti is a traditional luxury carmaker. That means old and conservative. You don't want to experiment with powertrains. Leaf owners would be much more tolerant to something unexpected, like the behavior of the original Leaf battery in hot climates. Had that first Leaf been an Infiniti, the fallout would have hurt the rest of the brand far more than the Leaf did. Infiniti will probably release the Leaf 2, wait a year or even 2 to get some results in, then do an EV if they think they can make money on it. But there is no requirement for them to put out an Infiniti at all. Consider that their highest level performance car is not an Infiniti. It is a Nissan (GTR). There is value in elevating the brand cachet of the parent company.

[evnow]

But there is no requirement for them to put out an Infiniti at all.

There is - Nissan wants to put a competitor to Model 3.