Infiniti has high hopes for its upcoming compact models, the Q30 hatchback and QX30 crossover. The Japanese luxury automaker expects its European sales to explode in the coming years thanks to these new vehicles designed and built in Europe.
Infiniti has a production capacity of 60,000 units for the Q30 and QX30 at Nissan’s Sunderland plant in the UK, with half of the output forecast to go to Europe. It will also sell the Q30 in the United States and China.
The Q30 will be the first model to go on sale, starting late this year, while the QX30 will be available in 2016. The two models are expected to do spectacular things for the brand.
“They will make a big bang. Compact premium cars are by far the biggest premium segment in Europe. About 2.4 million premium cars are sold annually in western Europe and 1.2 million are compacts,” Infiniti’s Europe chief, Francois Goupil de Bouille, told AutoNews Europe.
The executive added that customer testing of the Q30 has been “very positive” and that the company has made an “in-depth analysis of the segment” in order to get an innovative and credible alternative to German premium rivals.
One of the car’s most distinctive features is the design, which id described by Infiniti’s boss as polarizing. “We have some customers who love it and other customers who reject it, but that is what we want. This car has a lot of personality,” he said.
This will help the Infiniti Q30 stand out from its German rivals, which are more conservative, the executive added. “We need to be exactly the opposite of conservative. We can be innovative; we can take the maximum risk,” Goupil de Bouille said.
Note: Infiniti Q30 Concept pictured
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