Infiniti will offer hybrid version of JX
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NASHVILLE -- Infiniti will launch a hybrid version of its seven-passenger JX crossover this summer as a 2014 model.
The new hybrid, which debuts this month at the New York auto show, will be called the QX60 Hybrid in accordance with a planned revamping of Infiniti's product names.
Infiniti says the hybrid will deliver a 24 percent improvement in fuel economy over the nonhybrid version and will retail for about $3,000 more.
Infiniti already is selling a hybrid powertrain version of its flagship M sedan and recently said it will introduce a hybrid version of the upcoming Q50 this summer when that nameplate replaces the G37.
That will be three key hybrid products for the 2014 model year. Infiniti also plans to introduce an all-electric sedan in 2014, using the architecture of the Nissan Leaf.
Infiniti vowed to put hybrid gasoline-electric powertrains into more models after parent company Nissan Motor Co. developed in-house hybrid drives in 2010.
"This allows us to offer power performance while still reaching what we believe will be best-in-class fuel economy," an Infiniti brand spokesman said. "Luxury customers want both."
Final EPA figures are not available, but Infiniti estimates the hybrid will deliver 26 mpg in combined city and highway driving, compared with an EPA-rated 21 mpg combined for the nonhybrid front-wheel-drive 2013 JX.
The QX60 Hybrid uses a supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine teamed with a 15 kilowatt electric motor, delivering 250 net hp.
The nonhybrid JX uses a 3.5-liter V-6 and produces 265 hp.
The hybrid system's lithium ion battery module is positioned under the crossover's third-row seat and will not affect the vehicle's interior cargo area or floor space.
Infiniti introduced the JX in March 2012. It was the brand's second-highest volume product after the G last year, as U.S. retailers sold 21,674 units. It is built in Smyrna, Tenn.
You can reach Lindsay Chappell at lchappell@crain.com.
