The Nissan GT-R may be stealing much of the industry limelight these days, but sister brand Infiniti is no wallflower itself. Recently, Infiniti's short-term plans have come to light that could gain the premium automaker a little more stage presence.
U.K.-based Autocar has gotten word of Infiniti's plans for the next three years and they have revealed plans for new powertrains and new models to wage war against competing luxury brands from Japan, Europe and the U.S.Infiniti's most immediate plans call for a new M-series midsize model to debut next year at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show carrying Infiniti's 3.7L V-6. The car will also be engineered to accept the company's upcoming 3.0L V-6 turbodiesel, which will make its debut in the EX and FX SUVs before it climbs under the hood of the new M. A gasoline-electric hybrid is also planned, but there is no V-8 option. The hybrid has not been confirmed for Europe, nor have the diesels been confirmed for the U.S.After Nissan announced it would switch production at its Mississippi plant to its new light commercial vehicle line, we worried that the Infiniti QX56 was a goner. That doesn't appear to be the case, though, as Infiniti's plans call for a new model in 2011. Plans also suggest that a smaller, sportier seven-seat vehicle is in the pipeline and could hit the road by 2015 if it's approved.In 2006, Infiniti's Q45 luxury sedan quietly retired, taking the flagship Q-line with it. Future plans see it revived, though, with a new model debuting in 2012. That year will also reportedly see the debut of the next G-model, which could carry the aforementioned 3.0L diesel V-6. The diesel will not find its way into the G-series before then and may not come to the U.S.Beyond 2012, Infiniti's plans get a bit more vague. At the moment, they call for a compact battery-powered electric car, but little is known about the model. For now, it appears to be more of an idea than an actual product plan, but more information will inevitably come to light in the future.
