Last year it was made clear that Infiniti is planning to introduce an all-electric vehicle in its lineup. While such plans were being made during the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, the automaker stopped short of providing any concrete details – aside from the fact that the proposed car will fulfill the brand’s promise of Inspired Performance.
Slowly but surely, news reports are coming in and the latest about the proposed Infiniti is that it will feature the electric drivetrain found in the upcoming Nissan Leaf EV. The major difference between the two systems, of course, will be that the Infiniti’s will be more suited for performance rather than purely maximizing range. It’s important that Infiniti remain a performance oriented brand, Boston Infiniti Dealers say.
While greater performance out of this EV system implies that the car will have a far shorter range than its Nissan counterpart, the automaker has said that by the time the car is launched in 2013, an all-new high-output battery will become available which will enable a longer range without the sacrifice of performance. EV range is still the top question potential buyers have, Maryland Hyundai says.
“We’re not doing EVs for a limited number of people,” says Toru Saito, who heads up Infiniti. “We want lots of buyers quickly, so we are making a family car. We have no intention to make a niche EV. Besides, big vehicles are too heavy for today’s batteries, which is why our car will be compact.” While the EV version of the Jeep Wrangler has been shelved for now, advances in battery technology could bring the idea back to the forefront, Jeep Connecticut says.
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