Infiniti's new electrified platform will underpin almost entire range
Infiniti last week announced plans for a new electrified platform that will spawn its first model in 2021, expected to be an electric car.
And the platform will eventually underpin every model in the Infiniti lineup except the QX80, which for the foreseeable future will retain the rugged body-on-frame platform of the Nissan Armada/Patrol, Automotive News (subscription required) reported Monday following an interview with Infiniti boss Roland Krüger.
It means every new Infiniti from 2021 will have some form of electrification.
Infiniti's new platform is a highly modular design capable of offering parallel hybrid and pure electric powertrains. Electric cars based on the platform will offer a maximum 400 horsepower and about 300 miles of range.
The platform will also offer series hybrid powertrains, which Infiniti and its parent company Nissan have branded e-Power. The upcoming e-Power models will be electric cars that charge their batteries by a combination of energy regeneration and an internal combustion engine acting purely as a generator. This differs to other series hybrids like BMW's i3 Rex, which also have a plug to charge their batteries.
"In the end we realized we needed a platform that could hold an EV and e-Power and that made us decide to go for a completely new platform," Krüger told Automotive News. "We will have our setting of the suspension, go for a double wishbone on the front axle and things like this, which is really something that is different from other vehicles we have in the lineup."
For performance-oriented models, Infiniti will rely on a parallel hybrid setup with an internal combustion engine and electric motor at the front axle and one or two electric motors at the rear axle. Such a setup would allow the combustion engine and electric motors to power the car independently or together to form all-wheel-drive system.
Pictured above is Infiniti's Q Inspiration concept from the 2018 Detroit auto show. The handsome sedan is based on the new platform and is thought to preview the next-generation Q70 mid-size sedan.
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