Infiniti’s future sedan models, and the Q60, will no
longer use a rear-wheel drive platform, the company has confirmed. Speaking
with GoAuto at the Australian launch of the QX80, Infiniti product strategy
vice-president Francois Bancon said replacements for the Q50, Q60, and Q70 will
be based on a new, electrified platform with all-wheel drive as standard.
The Nissan FM platform used by the Q50, Q60, and Q70
has been around since the 2001 Nissan Skyline and simply cannot be updated to
support an electrified powertrain. Bancon added that it makes no sense to have
a rear-wheel drive platform when future Infiniti hybrids can have a combustion
engine at the front and an electric motor driving the rear wheels.
The first Infiniti sedan to be replaced by an
all-new generation will probably be a new Q70. The current vehicle has been on
the market since 2010 and but won’t be updated until 2021 at the earliest,
Bancon said.
