Q30 concept previews future Infiniti compact

Story by John LeBlanc Nissan’s Infiniti luxury brand has released a designer’s sketch of its new Q30 concept before its world premiere at next month’s Frankfurt auto show; a teaser to an all-new production car that will go toe-to-toe with the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the burgeoning “premium compact” class. While we already have a few, so-called premium compact sedans like the Buick Verano and Acura ILX, the luxury small car class will grow in the next twelve months with the new Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA compact sedans. Both of these German-brand compacts are aimed at younger, less affluent urban-dwellers (and not necessarily driving enthusiasts), as both will be available with front-wheel-drive, small four-cylinder engines and no manual transmissions. And the production version of the Infiniti Q30 (expected to arrive about one year from now) will be aimed at the very same buyer. In a release, Infiniti says the Q30 will be a “radical shift in the premium compact segment.” Based on the sketch of the Q30 above, Infiniti stylists seem to be blending the looks of a small hatchbac, coupe and crossover into a single form. Also radical is the genesis of the small Infiniti. Unlike the last Infiniti compact — the 1990s G20, essentially a rebadged Japanese-market Nissan Primera — the new Q30 won’t be based on a mainstream platform. Nissan has hinted that the new compact Infiniti will be the first product of an alliance with Mercedes-Benz parent company, Daimler. As such, speculation sees the Q30 using the same platform (and perhaps the same engines) as the aforementioned ‘Benz CLA. What do you think? Can Infiniti really go head-on with the more established German brands? Are there enough buyers to warrant this sudden flood of small and pricey (the competitive price range is expected to be in the $35,000 to $40,000 range) small cars? And based on who is really buying new cars these days, can the Q30 really attract younger buyers? Source: Infiniti Canada

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