When you think about the past of a car company like Infiniti, which is still pretty new, it’s interesting. But buyers aren’t interested in the brand’s latest models, and love for Japanese cars from the 1990s is at an all-time high. So, the high-end brand would look to the past for ideas. Finally, the brand’s most expensive and stylish car, the Q45 sports sedan, will turn 35 years old in 2019. At the launch of the new Vision Qe, an electric fastback sedan concept that shows off the brand’s first electric vehicle, both the trendy FX crossover and the Q45 were named. A Q&A with Infiniti Senior Design Director Taisuke Nakamura was held before the Japan Mobility Show to talk about the company’s electric future through the lens of its past and present. The Q400 joined the Lexus LS400 and the second-generation Acura Legend as Japan’s first significant threat to Mercedes and BMW’s full-size cars when it came out in 1989 as a 1990 model. It was hailed for how well it handled, thanks to an active suspension system that was hard to understand and optional four-wheel steering. The grille-less “belt buckle” front-end design of the Q45 caused some controversy at the time, but it looks very classy and understated now. It never sold more than its competitors, but its beautiful design and cutting-edge engineering got it praised in hip-hop lyrics and helped it build a cult-like following. Even more people liked the Infiniti FX SUV after fifteen years. Before BMW’s X6, the FX was the first coupe SUV. When it came out in 2003, its stylish shape made dealers charge more for it. Nakamura sees it as the brand’s symbol because it was the first SUV that publicly put style and function ahead of utility. That was twenty years ago, though. This time, electric cars are changing the market for high-end cars. Because it came late, Infiniti knows it can’t just show off a tweaked Nissan Ariya and hope for the best. Nakamura said that the Vision Qe idea was “highly developed with the production [car].” This means that Infiniti is “committed to an electric sports sedan in the fastback style,” even if the Vision Qe’s show vehicle form won’t be offered to dealers. I asked him why they chose to start the brand’s electric vehicles in a sedan when crossovers are so popular, and Infiniti just had a big hit with the FX. He says it came down to how the car drove and staying true to Infiniti’s core values. “Providing enjoyable cars to drive is ingrained in our DNA.” This company has a long history of making fast cars like the G coupe and G series. “I think that was one of the main reasons why we actually went with the sport sedan rather than the SUV,” said the Qe’s creator. Right away, he said that after the fastback, an electric SUV would hit the market. Even though Nakamura designed the IDX Nismo coupe in 2013, he is used to creating cars that look like they were made in the past, so don’t expect him to bring back memories at Infiniti. Infiniti has made a number of legendary cars in the past. As I said in my talk, the Q45 is the first one. But because Infiniti has only been around for a short time, we are always looking to make another popular car. “That’s why we always want to be the ones to challenge,” he said. He agrees that the Infiniti name might not get a lot of attention, but he says that the Vision Qe is designed for “people who are kind of independent about [their] choice of car.” Infiniti wants the production version of the Vision Qe to be like the Q45 or, even better, like the FX. This way, the company can stay vital in the age of electric cars. We are still determining if it will work, but the Vision Qe idea makes it look like it is finally giving it another chance.
