In a change of tune, Infiniti has decided to only offer the QX30 in North America rather than both it and the Q30 hatchback. Well, sort of.
Even Infiniti seems to think there isn’t enough difference between the Q30 “car” and QX30 “crossover,” which were shown together last month at the LA Auto Show. It announced Tuesday three versions of the 2017 QX30 would be offered when the car goes on sale in the middle of next year.
What it didn’t say was that two of the versions were referred to as Q30 just yesterday.
The QX30 is the standard hatchback version, accompanied by the sportier and lower QX30 S that was the Q30 S shown on the floor in LA last month. These models are front-wheel drive only. The QX30 AWD, however, is the only one of the three “crossovers” to be lifted up and dressed much like an SUV.
While this will no doubt save some printing costs with brochures and other publicity material, Infiniti has recognized there isn’t much daylight between the two, very Mercedes-derived -30 models in terms of positioning. This becomes very obvious up close as I discovered a purchase between the QX30 and the car-formerly-known-as-the Q30 would be made by a coin flip.
For the time being, at least, the Q30 will still be called the Q30 in markets where it’s more likely to be recognized as a hatchback.
Photos: Infiniti, Zac Estrada
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