Infiniti plans Lexus RX fighter, electrified crossover in lineup overhaul

Infiniti plans to overhaul its utility lineup in the next few years as the Japanese luxury brand struggles for market relevance.

Infiniti's share of the luxury market fell by two-thirds, from 7.4 percent in 2017 to 2.4 percent in 2023.

The brand sold 64,699 vehicles in the U.S. in 2023, ending a five-year streak of declines. Meanwhile, 2023 was one of the worst years for dealer profitability.

But Infiniti's Americas boss hopes to reverse the market momentum with fresh metal, including the brand's first new model since 2021.

When it arrives in 2026, the two-row QX65 midsize crossover will offer a sportier alternative to Infiniti's bestseller, the three-row QX60.

Infiniti also seeks to plug a hole in its product strategy with its first electrified model. The brand is exploring a hybrid variant of the Nissan Rogue that would slot below the compact QX50 crossover.

"It is a new dawn," Craig Keeys, group vice president for Infiniti Americas, told North American dealers last year.

The QX65 — Infiniti's answer to the Lexus RX — will ride on the QX60 platform and carry the same upgraded four-cylinder powerplant.

The coupe-like crossover will swap the boxy styling of its three-row sibling, instead getting a sharply raked rear window, protruding shark fin-like taillights and a sporty version of the redesigned QX80's grille.

The QX65 addresses a market previously served by the QX70, helping Infiniti draw new buyers. It has "an aggressive design that won't appeal to the soccer mom," Infiniti National Dealer Advisory Board Chairman Steve Lapin told Automotive News early this year.

Infiniti hopes the new model will be a sales engine. Lexus sold more than 114,000 RX crossovers in the U.S. last year.

Even as Infiniti explores new crossover segments, it will retreat from others.

Infiniti isn't planning new generations of the gasoline-powered QX50 and QX55 compact crossovers. Production of both nameplates will end in August 2026, according to AutoForecast Solutions.

However, a source with knowledge of the plan said Infiniti might extend the products' lifec ycle.

Meanwhile, the brand will temporarily exit the low-volume sedan segment. Production of Infiniti's sole car, the Q50, ended this spring, and it is being discontinued after the current model year.

Infiniti, already late to the EV segment, is falling further behind. The brand is expected to launch a battery-powered compact crossover and sedan.

But it's unclear when they might arrive, as parent company Nissan Motor Co. has paused EV production plans at its Canton, Miss., factory amid softer consumer demand for the technology.

In a May memo to suppliers obtained by Automotive News, Nissan said it had adjusted the "development schedule … to enhance product competitiveness." Nissan told suppliers to "pause all development activities" related to the sedan project. And in an Aug. 7 memo, Nissan promised suppliers an update on its EV plans by the end of the year.

Nissan Americas Chairperson Jeremie Papin told Automotive News in May that Nissan is being "pragmatic and reactive" to customer interest in EVs.

"What matters is making sure that we launch the vehicles that the customer wants, at the time the customer wants it," Papin said.

Editor's note: Lexus sold more than 114,000 RX crossovers in the U.S. last year. An earlier version of this story misstated that figure.