Infiniti to go electric by 2021

Infiniti joins rivalling luxury car brands to aggressively head towards automotive electrification.

Nissan’s luxury division, Infiniti, has revealed its plans to electrify the majority of its vehicle lineup by 2021.

Most new Infiniti vehicles launched after 2021 will either be all-electric or will rely on the Japanese company’s new range-extending electric motor powered tech known as e-Power - which is a new type of electrified system that uses its petrol motor to recharge its batteries - but not for propulsion.

The year 2021 will therefore bring Infiniti’s first-ever all-electric vehicle. The Japanese company was one of the first luxury brands to propose an EV. At the 2012 New York Auto Show, Infiniti showcased the LE concept, however, it never made it to production.

Infiniti’s parent Nissan already has quite some experience with EVs - the Leaf has been a successful EV globally. The Infiniti LE concept, in fact, was also based on the previous-gen Nissan Leaf. Also, Renault - Nissan’s strategic partner, sells the Twizy and Zoe EVs in Europe - thus reassuring that there should be no hiccup in Infiniti reaching its electrification target, given its backed up by experienced players.

Infiniti claims that its full-sized, body on frame SUV, the QX80, might be exempted from this new strategy though. Also, the company made headlines very recently by revealing its VC-Turbo petrol engine - the world’s first variable compression ratio engine - that took two decades to develop. How will this fancy new motor fit into the company’s electrification strategy remains to be seen.